Rose Petals
by WanderingTeen
Summary: A retelling of Beauty and the Beast, my way. Adara is a plain girl stuck caring for her family after they fall from wealth and her mother dies... that is, until her father stumbles upon a castle with a terrifying owner.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

_Three things in the human life are important: the first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind – _Henry James

Once upon a time, there was a spoiled young man by the name of Torin. He had curly brown hair, ice-blue eyes, and his parents were extremely wealthy. Some even said that they were related by blood to a king and queen who sent them more riches every month. Because of Torin's wealthy background, he had everything that he could have ever wished for. Despite these treasures, he was always demanding more. It seemed that, the more treasures he accumulated, the more miserable he became.

There had been a curse put on his family many years before. It was taboo to speak of such things in those days, so by the time two generations had passed no one remembered the rules or consequences of the enchantment. Servants of the family would talk about it late at night when they were sure no one could overhear them, speculating that it had something to do with kindness, or something of the like.

Eventually, Torin's father died in an accident on the rode, and his mother died the next year of a broken heart. Naturally, they left everything to their only son, and Torin soon found himself owner of a large estate. He had a lovely castle, a large area of land with beautiful rose gardens, and about fifty servants to carry out his every wish.

The servants knew that he had been a terrible child, but that was nothing compared to the way he treated them as their master. He paid them next to nothing and stopped looking after their living spaces and food. Servants began to fall ill because of their terrible living conditions. Those who could afford to leave did, and those who didn't suffered all the more.

That's when the enchantment began to set in. There were little things at first – he began to grow facial hair more thickly than before, and his clothes started to get a little tighter on him. His finger and toenails started to grow faster and his teeth started to feel strange, like they didn't fit in his mouth anymore.

The prince took no notice of these things at first – Torin brushed it off as a minor illness, or a sign that he should lay off the wine. But as his servants began to suffer more, so did he. Hair began to thicken not only on his face, but on his arms, legs and… well, everywhere. Torin could have sworn that he grew at least two inches overnight, and his back began to curve. His teeth began to sharpen, so much that he started to cut his tongue and cheeks whenever he ate something. His jaw began to widen, his hairline started to take up more and more of his forehead…

One morning, Torin woke up, feeling out of sorts. He looked in the mirror, but what he saw wasn't human. Torin had changed from a man to a beast.

He refused to leave his room for almost a week after that, so he was never able to witness what was going on outside his room. With no master to order them around, all but two servants left for good, hoping they could find employment elsewhere. The two that stayed began to feel strange, and soon the enchantment had affected them as well.

The castle, for its part, was also changed by the curse. Every so often it would re-arrange itself, and on nights where the moon was new and couldn't be seen, certain objects came to life.

When Torin finally left his room, he was nothing like his old self. He was a strange creature, covered entirely with coarse brown fur. He had ears and a tail like a wolf's, a snout and paws like a lion and the shaggy arms and legs of a bear. His head was like a bears, but he had thick, twisted horns like a demon.

His two servants, unfortunately, weren't lucky enough to have changed into something visible. They had lost all solidity, and at first it was all they could do to blow about and cause minor stirring like the wind. It took two months for them to learn how to gather enough strength to do simple tasks like dusting and making beds, and by then the castle was in ruins.

Torin tried to be kind to his remaining servants in hopes of reversing the effects of the curse, but it was too late. Days stretched into months and months became years, stinging themselves into decades. In horror, Torin discovered that he didn't age, which meant that he was stuck in this monstrous form. His only way to escape would be to break the spell, but as far as he knew there was no way to remove the enchantment.

He would be stuck as a beast for the rest of eternity.

-

**Hello there, everyone out there in fanfiction world. I started writting this when I was about... fourteen... and now I'm editting and finishing it. Please let me know if you like it and if you think I should continue it.**

**Also, I'm going give you the songs that I listen to to inspire me while I write as a kind of soundtrack. If you want, you can YouTube them or something to listen to them while you read. This chapter was _A Narnian Lullabye_ from the Chronicles of Narnia soundtrack.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_Always smile. It makes people wonder what you're up to – _Anonymous

I'm eighteen years old, and I'm the oldest of four children. Briac is twelve, Rowena is ten, and my youngest sister, Aisling, is five. My mother died giving birth to her.

Oh, excuse my rudeness. I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Adara. It means "Beauty", and quite frankly it's a lie. It would have suited Rowena far better than it suits me.

It's not that I blame my parents for naming me that. After all, they had every right to assume that they would have a pretty daughter or a handsome son. My mother was beautiful. She had lovely blond hair with natural curls, and she had beautiful sky-blue eyes and such a pretty face… my father is rather handsome as well. He's tall with dark brown hair and friendly green eyes.

So, with such lovely parents, it would only make sense that the children would be lovely as well. And most of them are. All of my siblings have my mother's lovely blond hair and blue eyes, though Aisling also has freckles and dimples. But the beauty seemed to skip over me. I suppose if I had to compare each of us to animals, my siblings would all be prize-winning fair horses and I'd be the ugly pony in the corner being ridden by angry obese children.

I have plain brown hair that tangles like cheap yarn. My eyes are green, but they aren't the lovely green that my father has. They're pea soup green. I'm also too tall and I have feet large enough to paddle me across an ocean. I also have about as much poise and grace as a watering can…

I suppose it could be worse, though. If I were pretty, I'd end up getting married to some bloke who thinks like a ferret and smells even worse.

Of course, marriage _would_ save me from my family… with my mother dead and my father working all of the time, I have to look after the other three children because I am the oldest. Rowena takes this to mean that I'm her maid. Briac tries to help me from time to time, but anything that depends on his eyes gives him a headache. He needs glasses, but they are very, very expensive and we'll probably never be able to afford them.

We were rich once, when I was six or seven years old… but then father made a bet, and we lost our fortune. I'm not sure of the details; father never speaks of it. He's rather ashamed, I think, because now none of his children had a chance to go on trips or live the life of luxury and all that lovely stuff.

Or, at least, that's what we thought.

-

I remember that day as if it were yesterday; the day a letter came. I was washing dishes at the time. Actually… I was always washing dishes. Anyways, a man came to the door and was knocking like a crazed woodpecker. I barely had time to turn my head before he had quickened the intensity and volume of his knocking.

"Yes, yes, keep knocking. You're ever so important, you shouldn't have to wait one more second…" I muttered as I dried off my hands.

The walls of our house were thin. I was sure that he heard my comments. My suspicions were confirmed when I opened the door and his face was red with embarrassment and exertion. He held out his hand, showing off a white envelope.

"I… er… have a letter."

"I can see that." I muttered, taking in from him. "Is this it, or is there more?"

"That's it." He replied.

"Then good day to you." I said stiffly, closing the door in his face.

"Who was that?" Rowena asked. Instead of helping me, she was busily sitting at the window in the kitchen and staring at herself in the mirror, turning her face this way and that in an attempt to… actually, I have no idea what she was doing.

"No one important." I replied, locking the door and throwing the letter on the table. "Now, will you get your face out of that mirror and dry some of the dishes?"

"Must I? My birthday is only a month away, and I'm trying to see what makes me look the best." She retorted, taking a hand full of curls and holding it up. "Do you think I should try a new hairstyle?"

I flicked some soapy water at her, sighing as the fat bubbles lodging themselves in her hair. "There's your new hairstyle. Now get off of your rump and help me." I snapped, using my wrist to brush a lock of my own long dark hair from my face.

She stared at me, sticking out her tongue. "You're just angry because you're ugly and you know it."

Just because it was true didn't mean I was going to let her lay around all day. "I said get off your rump."

She stuck out her tongue again.

"Do that again and I'll cut your tongue out!" I barked, pulling the butchering knife from the soapy water. "I mean it!"

She stuck her tongue out further.

"That's it, you little wench!" I screamed, running at her.

"Old maid!" she shouted back, holding a butter knife up as protection.

"That's enough!" Briac yelled, dashing down the stairs. He squinted his eyes as he glared at Rowena and I. "What is it with you women?"

"Why don't you ask Adara?" Rowena muttered.

"Because you're the one he should be asking." I hissed, cracking my knuckles.

"Maybe if you got off your arse and did something once and a while-" Briac was saying.

"Oh, not that again!" Rowena shrieked, plugging her ears. "If you keep cracking your knuckles you'll have man hands. You're disgusting!"

"I'll show you disgust-"

My retort was cut off by a sharp shriek. I moaned, glancing towards the back room. Aisling had woken up.

"Great. Now see what you did?" I mumbled, wiping my hands on my skirt and pushing past Rowena to get to Aisling. "Sometimes I really despise you, Rowena."

"There you go, using your big words that no one understands!" she snapped back, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Despise is common English. You're just an idiot."

"Shut up, you two!" Briac shouted, accompanied by another shriek from Aisling.

"Fine. I have to go shut Aisling up anyways." I muttered, making my way to the room that Rowena and I shared with Aisling. "Go ahead, try new hairstyles. Brush your hair until it falls out."

"Maybe I will!"

My entire body sagged when I came through the doorway of my room. I was exhausted, and seeing my bed in the corner of the room only intensified the fatigue.

"Adara!" Aisling sobbed, waving at me from her bed. "They waked me up with their loud noises!"

"I know, I know." I sighed, lifting her to my shoulder. If I could get her back to sleep, I could finish the dishes and maybe have a little nap… "Are you still tired?"

"No."

I sighed. "Are you sure? It's really tiresome in the kitchen, you wouldn't be missing anything … and you really should finish your nap…"

"I'm not tired!"

"Okay, alright…" I yawnedI was the only one in the house in need of a nap. "Okay then… do you want to help me make the bread?"

"Yes, yes! I wants to roll the dough!" she clapped her hands happily.

"Alright… let's go, then."

-

That night, when father came home, I was fast asleep. I had finished all of my housework with Briac's help, and I was exhausted. The only thing that woke me up was the sound of Aisling breathing on me. I hated to open my eyes, but she was starting to drool…

"Hello, Adara!" she beamed.

"Hello." I replied, rolling myself out of bed and lifting Aisling onto my hip. I left my room and found my way into the hallway. Briac was leaning against the wall, holding the letter from earlier that day.

"Where's father?" I asked. "Is he home?"

"He went to check on the chickens." Briac replied. "And Rowena started supper for you."

"Really? Why?"

"Because I threatened to shave her head while she slept if she didn't." He said, handing me the letter. "He'll be back any moment now."

"I think you have the right idea on how to handle that girl…" I yawned. I walked into the kitchen, where Rowena was stirring something in a large pot.

"What's that?" Aisling asked, pointing to the pot.

"It looks like dishwater and smells worse." I commented.

"It's chicken broth." She snapped.

"Oh…" I cleared my throat and set Aisling on a kitchen chair. "Would you like some help with that?"

"No."

"Are you sure?" I looked into the broth and wrinkled my nose. "If I act now, I might just be able to rescue it-"

"Why don't you just set the table?" Rowena hissed.

"Fine." I replied, shrugging as I turned away. "You don't have to be so miserable..."

"You and your big words!" she muttered. "Why can't you just be normal?"

"Why can't you just learn to read?" I replied dryly. "It would give you something to do, other than… whatever you do with that mirror."

"I can read!" she retorted. "Just… not very well…"

"What in the name of all that is holy is that smell?" Briac asked, walking into the kitchen. "It smells like ferrets and cheese."

I tried and failed to suppress a chuckle. "It's… ferret broth."

"Chicken broth." Rowena growled.

"I'm bored." Aisling pouted, demanding attention. "Let's play a game."

I went through the dishes I'd left drying earlier and started to set the table. "No, not now. How about I tell you a story instead?"

"No! I wanna play! I wanna play! I wanna play a fun game!"

"Shut her up or I'm going to snap…" Rowena muttered,

At that moment, father walked in.

"Hello, Adara." He said, ruffling my hair as he had since I was three years old (which I had hated since I was three years old and had vocalized numerous times). "How was your day?"

"Exhausting." I answered truthfully.

"Magnificent!" he said, ignoring me. "How about I take Aisling from you, and you have a rest?"

_Bless him!_ I thought,_ bless him, oblivious simpleton that he is… _"That would be-"

"Dinner is served!" Rowena said, her voice gushy and sweet as it always was in father's presence. "I made it all by myself."

"Splendid!" he replied, proving that I wasn't the only one in the world who loved big words. "Simply fantastic! Let's eat…"

"It's chicken broth, and it smells grand. You'll love it." Rowena assured him, taking his arm and leading him to the table.

"Wait, father!" I said, handing him the letter. "Someone brought this."

He took the letter from me, asking, "Do you know what it's for?"

"No idea." I replied. "Will you read it?"

"I will, after supper." He replied. "Come now, something smells absolutely delicious…"

-

Father sat in his chair, leaning back, and his feet up on a stool. His pipe was in his mouth, and his hands were clasped over his stomach.

"Father?" I had to be quiet, because we had just sent Aisling to bed.

"Yes, what is it, Adara?" he muttered.

"You should probably take a look at this letter now." I said, handing it to him. Father is the type who will leave something and forget about it for months, maybe even years if you let him. It's best just to keep nagging him until he finally does what you ask him to.

"The letter? Ah, yes, the letter." He sighed, taking it into his own hands and tearing it open. "It's probably another bill of some sort."

I sighed. "Probably."

Father read the letter. At first his face was relaxed, but then his eyes suddenly grew wider. He smiled suddenly, and threw the letter down with a shout.

"This is amazing! Stupendous! The best thing that could ever have happened to us!" he cried.

Aisling moaned upstairs.

"Shush, father!" I exclaimed. Obviously the stresses of poverty had finally gotten to him. I had heard about this sort of thing from my friends.

"Wake up the other children! This is a celebration!" he ran up the stairs, shouting.

I followed him, but he had already woken Briac and Aisling up. Rowena was waking up on her own.

"Father, stop this madness!" I commanded, running into Aisling's room and glaring at my father as he lifted a tired Aisling from her bed. "I just finished putting these children to bed!"

"I apologise, Adara, really I do, but I have to tell you children what it says in this letter!" he insisted, giving Aisling a light toss that made her giggle.

I sighed. "Fine. Tell us what you see in the letter."

He looked me directly in the eye. "We're still rich!"

-

Cups lay strewn on the table, and the five of us sat around it, our chairs pulled up, our hair dishevelled. The sun was starting to rise, and a pink glow was apparent on the horizon.

"So, tell us, how did this money come to us?" I asked.

"Well it's sad, really, but… apparently, I had second cousin thrice removed or something of that nature, and he died last month." My father chuckled. "I never met the poor bloke, but apparently he was filthy stinking rich and I'm his only relative."

"How would anyone know that?" Briac asked, rubbing his eyes and squinting in the bad light. "If you never met him… how would anyone know we were related?"

Father shrugged, brushing the question aside. "What does it matter? We're rich now!"

"Yes!" Rowena said. "Finally, I can wear gold and jewels and look just as fine as any lady!"

"But how are we to gather this new fortune?" I asked. "We can't exactly pick everything up and take it with us, and we can't leave all of our things behind. We need to live here at least until we make arrangements for a new house."

"I am to collect it!" father replied. "I plan to leave tomorrow. I'll take our horse. Children, tell me, what shall I bring you back, as gifts?"

Rowena's eyes glittered. "I want a fine pearl necklace, and a ruby broach, and a diamond-crested ring, and-"

"I'll see what I can do." Father said, interrupting her. He smiled at Briac. "Briac, what do you want?"

"Well… I would like a glasses, please." Briac said, his voice hopeful. Though he never complained about his near-sighted problems, we all knew how much he suffered, and how he prayed for glasses. "I know that, if I had them and I didn't get headaches so often, I could be much more helpful around the house."

Father laughed. "Of course. You shall have your glasses."

Briac smiled. "Thank you, father."

"Now, Aisling," Father went on, "What shall daddy bring you?"

"Oh, a new doll!" she exclaimed. "And some sugar-candies!"

He smiled, and kissed her rosy cheek. "I will get you your doll and candies." He promised. He turned to me. "Now, Adara, my dear, what would you like?"

"Oh, nothing for me, father." I replied. I glanced at Rowena and then added, "Actually, come to think of it, a new sister would be nice…"

Rowena stared at me, rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue.

Father chucked. "Come now, Adara, you must want _something_. You work so hard, and you should be rewarded for your work."

"I don't need anything." I insisted.

He stood firm. "Come on, Adara, tell me what you want. Books, maybe? A broach? Ribbon for your hair? Some new cooking utensils? Tell me, or I'll waste the money on something you hate."

I laughed. "Fine. If you insist on bringing something back for me, bring me a rose." I smiled. "You know how I love roses."

He frowned. "Just a rose? Come now, Adara, your father is a rich man! A rose? That's insulting!"

I smiled. "All I want is a rose." I assured him. "But, when you come back with our fortune, you can buy me more. I promise."

"Alright, then." Father yawned and stretched his arms. "Well, it's high time you children went to bed. I've wasted the whole night talking of gold and other such nonsense. We'll sleep in, and you can help me pack when you wake up. I want to leave early tomorrow morning."

"Are you sure that all you want is a rose, Adara?" father asked as he got up onto his horse. "We really can afford much more now."

I shook my head. "No. If you really must waste your money on someone, waste it on Rowena."

"Oh, yes, please do!" she exclaimed, tying up the last saddlebag.

Father sighed. "Well, when I get back, I'll have plenty of time to waste my money on you, won't I?"

"I suppose." I replied. "Now, ride safely. We'll be praying."

"As will I." He replied, ruffling my hair again and ignoring my pained expression. "Take care of each other. I love you all!"

He started the horse trotting, and we all waved goodbye.

-

**So, here's the next chapter. I'm not so sure if I like this one. It was writen in Adara's point of view to begin with, but... meh.**

**And, just in case you're wondering about all the weird names... I don't know, I just like weird names :)**

**This chapters song was _Concerning Hobbits_ from the Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring soundtrack**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_Your chances of getting hit by lightening go up if you stand under a tree, shake your fist at the sky, and say, "Storms Suck!" – _Johnny Carson

A month later, there was a knocking on our door. I wiped my hands on a dishtowel and ran to the door, opening it.

Father stood in front of me, his hands holding the reins to the most beautiful horse I had ever seen with a mane of pure white. I gasped, but not because of the horse: it was because of father. He was changed.

His hair had turned a worried white, and his eyes were dull. His clothing was worn, and his hopeful, smiling face was replaced by one of woe. In one hand he carried a bulging saddlebag; in the other he carried a blood red rose.

"Father?" I whispered, reaching out of the doorway.

"It is I," he said, smiling grimly. "Who else did you expect? A ghost?"

I stood there dumbly, my mouth hanging open like that of a lunatic in the streets. I was too surprised to do anything. Where was the gold? The jewels? Some small sign that we were wealthy now?

"May I come in?" father asked.

My brain started working again. "Oh… yes, father, come in! We've missed you…" I stared at the rose in his hand. It was the most beautiful flower that I had ever seen… was it meant for me?

"Yes," he said, reading my mind, "This is your rose, and you'll never know how much it cost me."

"What do you mean?" I asked. "And where's everything else? Where is the gold and the glasses for Briac and-"

My father put up a hand to silence me. "I will tell you everything, but first… I'm tired. Might I lie down and rest?"

"Oh… yes…" I said, leading him into his bedroom. I took the saddlebag and nearly dropped it. It was much to heavy for its size.

Father sighed loudly. "It's so good to be home…"

Something in his voice caught my ear. "Father? Are… are you all right?"

"I'm fine. "He glanced at me as though he barely recognized me. "I will tell you everything when I am rested."

"If you're sure…" I murmured.

He let himself drop onto his bed and closed his eyes, falling asleep instantly. I looked down at him with worry in my mind. Now that I was close to him, I could see that he was much thinner than before. I leaned over and kissed his forehead.

"I love you, Father."

-

The next day, father came out of his room. He was still looking rather old and worn, but he was a little more alert. He found the rest of us in the kitchen with mugs of weak tea.

"So what happened?" Rowena asked, looking at him expectantly. "Did you get my pearls?"

"I will tell you what happened from the beginning." Father said. "Please listen carefully. I don't want to repeat myself."

"Go ahead, father." I murmured.

He sighed. "I headed strait for our old town the moment that I left your sight. I travelled for about two weeks and arrived in the town square shortly after noon. I went strait to the address in the letter and… it turns out that the letter was a mistake. The gentleman that died wasn't related to me. We spoke at a pub once. That was all. His real relatives were located shortly after the letter was sent."

"That's terrible!" I cried.

"I tried to come home as soon as I could, but there was a hail storm a few miles out of town." Father went on, brushing my remark off. "I got lost, and ended up wandering around in circles for a few days. Soon after my detour I happened upon an incredible castle. I was very hungry, and extremely tired, so I decided to go inside. Luckily, the doors were unlocked, and I was able to let myself in. There was a meal already laid out for whomever owned this castle, but I was starving. Hoping that he or she would understand, I devoured the meal."

"Was it good?" Aisling asked.

"It was delicious, like nothing I had ever tasted before." Father replied, smiling unenthusiastically. "After I had eaten my fill, I wandered the halls, searching for my host, but found no one. Instead, I found a beautiful room with a very comfortable bed inside. I couldn't resist; I lay down upon the bed and slept. A few hours later, I woke up and it was morning. I searched again for my host, and again I found no one. I did, however, find another meal laid out for me. I ate again, and then saddled up the horse to leave."

"So, you never met the person who owned the castle?" Briac asked.

Father shook his head sorrowfully. "I did meet him, when I was just leaving the castle. You see… there were hedges of roses as far as the eye could see in all different shades and colours, and I thought of you Adara. Aisling," father continued, "I'm sorry. I couldn't get the doll, candy, glasses or any of the other beautiful gifts."

"That's alright, father." Aisling, Rowena and Briac said in unison, Rowena's voice by far the most disappointed. It was, after all, her birthday. She was eleven years old now and no one had marked the event with even a tiny celebration.

"I just couldn't bear to disappoint Adara as well," Father went on, "So I went to pluck a rose from the hedge nearest to the doorway. At that moment, I heard a roar."

"Were you scared, father?" Aisling asked.

"I was, but I was more terrified when I turned and found a hideous monster standing right in front of me…"

-

Torin had seen this traveller as an opportunity to break the spell. If he was kind to the traveller and gave him food and shelter, perhaps the spell would break…

… But when the ingrate had the audacity to steal one of his roses, Torin was infuriated. With an enraged roar, Torin leapt out the door and raced towards the ungrateful intruder.

The intruder had fallen to his knees, his face twisted in terror at Torin's hideousness. Torin knew this and it only infuriated him more.

"You will pay dearly for your treachery…" Torin growled. It had taken him years to get used to moving and speaking in this body, but now that he had the hang of it he used these talent to his advantage. He hunched over like a savage beast and lowered his voice to a depth beyond human capability.

The human had the courage to speak. "P-please, sir… f-forgive me if I have done anything to upset you."

"You _have_ upset me!" Torin hissed. "I supply you with a room, and food, and you repay me with theft? Now you will pay with your life!"

"No!" the man cried. "Please, don't kill me! I have a family. If I were to disappear… they'd have no money. They'd starve."

"Your family is of little importance to me." Torin snapped. "And if they were important to you, you should have stayed home."

Quickly, the man spun a story of poverty and false hopes. He spoke of his poor children going without and the death of his lovely wife. He went on to tell Torin about the gifts his children had asked for, saying, "All Adara asked for was a rose. I couldn't stand to disappoint her as well. She works so hard! Please, sir, you must understand, I meant your roses no harm!"

Torin paused for a long moment, thinking. The trespasser would still pay, there was no doubt about that… but perhaps he could pay in a way that benefited Torin as well.

"I will let you go free," He offered, "If you will give me one of your daughters."

"Never!" the human cried. "I won't let you kill my daughter in my place."

"You misunderstand me, old man," Torin replied. He was beginning to like this new idea. "She is to come of her own free will. And, you have my word, no harm will come to her if she is to stay here."

"I… I can't possibly do that." The trespasser said. "My daughters would never subject themselves to this…"

Torin went on as if he hadn't heard. "You have a week to stay with your family and decide. After that you are to return to me, with or without your daughter. If you don't, I will come to collect you."

"Y-yes, sir." The man whimpered.

Torin bent down to retrieve the rose that the man had dropped when he appeared, holding it out for him to take it. "Here, take this to your eldest daughter. When it wilts, you will know that it is time to return to me."

After a brief hesitation, the human took the rose. "Yes."

"And take a horse from the stable." Torin added as an afterthought. "The white one, Lightening. She's one of my fastest horses. She'll be able to cover the distance from here to your home in half the time that your old horse could. After you come back, with or without your daughter, she will go back to your home, so you can keep her."

"But-"

"Go now." Torin turned and left him, "Or you'll be late getting home."

-

After hearing fathers story, the five of us were silent. I felt extremely guilty. All of this, just because of my stupid little rose. This was my fault. Why did I have to pick that, when I could have chosen rubies, or pearls, or something of the like?

"I will go." I whispered.

"Nonsense!" father murmured. "I will go. You will stay here and care for the family once I am gone."

"No, father." I murmured. "I am the one who asked for the rose when you offered everything else. I should go."

"No, Adara!" Briac cried. "Let that monster come for Father! When he knocks on our door, Father and I will kill him, and then we shall take his castle. Ha! We shall be rich after all."

"You can't see more than three feet ahead of yourself without squinting." Rowena snapped. "How do you suppose you're going to kill the monster without shooting yourself in the foot?"

Briac cleared his throat, avoiding his eyes. "I don't know."

"Leave him alone, Rowena." I muttered.

"I don't want the monster to come to our house!" Aisling sobbed, oblivious to the alternative.

"Father," I insisted. "I asked for the rose. I will go."

"No."

"If you don't let me go, I'll steal away in the night." I replied. "I'm going no matter what you say."

"No." he repeated. "I won't have you killed by that… that _beast_."

"Father," I murmured, "He said no harm would come to me."

"He was lying." Briac cut in. "All he wants is to-"

"Who knows," I interrupted him before he could destroy my sudden courage with tales of gore and fear. "This beast may turn out to be… compassionate."

"How on earth could you think that?" Rowena asked. "He nearly tore father's head off for the sake of a rose!"

I picked the rose off of the table and held it delicately, watching so I couldn't prick my finger on a thorn. I ran a finger along the soft petals, marvelling at their texture.

"Maybe someone who loves roses so much won't be so bad." I murmured.

"Roses are pretty." Aisling agreed.

"Yes," I replied, trying to smile at her sweet face, "Roses are very pretty."

"I appreciate that you're trying to be positive about this," Father muttered, trying to keep his voice from rising in anger, "But be reasonable. This creature could kill you without a second thought. You can't just waltz over there and expect him to treat you decently because he likes roses."

"Father, I am going and that's that." I replied, laying the rose on the table again. "If you don't like it, I'll leave in the middle of the night and then you won't be able to say goodbye."

He glared at me. "I'll lock you in your room if I have to."

"Fine. And then what happens?" I asked. "With you gone, who's going to earn money for our food?"

"… You may have to earn money for a few years, until Briac is old enough." He admitted.

"And then who takes care of the meals?" I challenged, "And who watches Aisling and makes sure that she's happy?"

"Rowena and Briac can, until-"

"Rowena can't tell the difference between a ladle and a hole in the ground, and the only thing she'd watch is her own face in the mirror." I snapped. "And how is Briac supposed to watch Aisling when he can't see more than three feet in front of him. How can he cook without hurting himself?"

Father put a hand to his head. "It would just be until he's a little stronger, so he can do manual work-"

"No one in their right mind will hire him when he can't see." I replied. "And no one is going to pay me a decent wage. You know that. Without you, we'll starve."

Rowena chewed her lip while Briac tried to see further than three feet without squinting. All he managed to do was look like a drunken sailor.

Father closed his eyes, murmuring, "What am I supposed to do?"

"You have to let me go." I replied, trying to ignore the pounding of my heart. "Better to lose one child than all four."

Father refused to open his eyes. He didn't reply, but his shoulders drooped enough to let me know that I had won.

I stood, trying my best not to sigh. "I'll make supper."

-

One week later, I stared at the wilting rose on our kitchen table, deciding that I had made a terrible mistake.

It had been a strange week. Father stalked around the house as if he was a zombie, and Rowena sobbed every time she looked at me. Briac looked at me with big, sad eyes, and little Aisling barely ever smiled or even spoke to me.

Father refused to speak of the creature after he told us that horrid story, so I knew nothing about him. I had no idea how the monster looked, or how tall he was, or anything else like that. I had no idea what to expect.

I had packed my belongings up. It was rather pitiful. I had only three dresses including the one that I was to wear while riding to this castle, a brush, the ring the my father had given my mother the day of their wedding, and a gold necklace with a small locket hanging off of it. In the locket, there was a tiny strand of my mother's hair.

I gathered my things and went outside. I had said my goodbyes late that night. It was early and it had taken long enough to get the children to bed. I didn't want to wake them up.

I went into the stable to find that father was already there, putting the saddle on Lightening. He looked up upon my arrival. "Are you ready?"

I nodded, my heart cold. "I am."

We rode silently throughout the day, giving me plenty of time to think. Or, rather, to worry about what was to befall me whence we came to the castle. This monster of father's had promised that I would stay safe, but… well, that was a fine thing to believe when you were safe in your house, but I was riding towards my fate now.

And all for a stupid rose.

I felt a strange surge of hope after a few hours as my mind began to twirl ideas of freedom. Maybe I would wake up in the morning, back at home. Maybe this was all a bad dream. Maybe-

"We'll be there soon." Father said quietly.

All hopes that I had crashed down on top of me. "Oh…"

"You know… Adara…" he began, swallowing hard. "You can turn back now, if you want… I'll go in your place…"

"No!" I exclaimed. "Father, you have to go home. Briac needs a father, and Rowena can do all of my work if she really wants to. And Aisling needs you more than she needs me. Besides, he promised you that no harm would come to me."

Father didn't give up so easily. "You are too young to make such a hasty choice."

"Father, if I am old enough to raise three children and fix their supper, I'm sure that I am old enough to make a decision like this." I said.

"I didn't mean for you to grow up this way." He murmured, "When you were born, I had such big plans for you… and then I took that stupid bet… and then, when your mother died…" I heard him choke back a sob. "I'm sorry. I know how I've ruined my children's lives… and especially you, Adara. I can't even begin to imagine how hard all of this must have been on you."

"It's been fine." I replied, feeling thoroughly guilty for bringing up this torrent of emotions. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You've been a wonderful father."

This seemed to calm him a bit. It was strange, how the thought of leaving someone you loved suddenly made your memory of them into something beautiful. I knew that my father was far from perfect in his parenting, but as I tried to recall his mistakes, all I could remember where happier times.

"Was I really a good father to you?" he asked.

"The best." I assured him.

-

I stood in front of the castle gate, staring inwards. There were thousands of beautiful rose bushes beckoning to me with their beauty. Not a petal or leaf was out of place.

I was repulsed.

"Adara, I know that we've talked about this…" father said, holding my shoulders and looking into my eyes, "But I… you can still turn back now…"

I smiled in spite of myself. "No, father," I replied, a tear resting on the brim of my eye, "It is my choice… I am the one who should go…"

At that moment, the great gates opened. Father jumped back, and I turned again to face the ominous rose bushes. I tried not to picture the monster that waited for me in the castle.

"I should say good bye now, father." I murmured, my voice void of emotion. "I couldn't bear to say good bye… in there…"

"Please, Adara, let me at least-"

"No, please. I would rather it be done here." I replied.

A heavy sigh escaped his lips and he half-heartedly ruffled my hair. "Alright…. I… I will miss you…"

"You know I hate it when you do that." I murmured.

"I know." he said, his voice flat with hopelessness. He was certain, just as I was, that I was to die upon entering that castle.

I gave him a sad smile and carefully erased the emotion from my voice. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

I took my bag off of the horse and then stepped into the castle courtyard. As I turned back to give my father one last hug, the gates slammed shut.

I bit my lip. "You should be going soon, father… they'll worry."

He nodded, mounting his horse and taking the other's reigns. "I love you…"

Something startled the horses and they began to snort and prance uneasily. I could see that father was having a hard time controlling them until they finally decided that they'd had enough and they turned, trotting for home.

"I love you, too." I murmured, turning towards the castle door.

-

A dark figure stood at one of the windows, watching the old man and his daughter outside. Finally, the girl turned and came towards the castle.

"She came…" he whispered.

-

**Well, I'm not as happy with this chapter because to me it seems long and boring. But you guys be the judge. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. You all made my day!**

**This song is _Hope and Memory_ from one of the Lord of the Rings soundtracks.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_And all the loveliest things there be, come simply so, it seems to me – _Edna St. Vincent Millay

I knocked on the castle door and it swung open with a creak. I glanced inside and then stepped back. There was no one inside. Like the gates, the door had opened on its own accord. I stepped towards the door again, clearing my throat.

"Hello?" I called, my voice small in such a grand castle.

I stepped inside, looking around. Beautiful tapestries hung on the walls. Statues and paintings watched me from where I stood, shrouded in dust and cobwebs. Most of the statues and paintings where of a more classical nature, while others depicted gruesome hunting stories with animals laid open, terrible battles, and creatures from dark fantasies. I shuddered, wondering what kind of person would want such terrible things displayed around them.

"Hello." A deep voice boomed from a hidden stairwell beside me. I looked up, terrified. All I saw were eyes, glittering in the dim light from the still-open door...

The door slammed itself shut and candles lit around me, illuminating only a small portion of the floor that I stood on. The eyes still gleamed, though the candlelight made the glimmer a little more ominous.

"H-hello?" I whimpered, fear all but taking over my senses.

"Please, do not be frightened. I wish you no harm." The voice said with a gruffness that assured me that he meant me nothing but harm. "Please tell me your name."

"Adara." I trembled, pulling my shawl tighter around my shoulders as if it would protect me from the creature hiding in the shadows. "My father brought me. He was the one who…"

"… Who stole my roses?" He finished for me, his voice heavy low with contempt.

"Um… yes…" I replied. "I am his eldest daughter."

"The one who the roses were meant for?" he asked, sounding quite surprised.

"Yes." I said quietly.

"I hadn't expected that you would come," he said, taking a step down.

"You know my name…" I cleared my throat, wishing desperately that he would stop the theatrics and just reveal himself, "But… um… you haven't told me yours."

The eyes bobbed, telling me that their owner had given me a quick nod. "I am the Beast." He paused for a moment. "That is what I wish to be called."

"Don't you… don't you have a… a real name? A birth name?" I asked.

"My birth name was given to a being that no longer exists." He growled, frightening me with his sudden temper. "He is dead. I am the Beast."

I took a sharp breath. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you angry. I just-"

"There is no need to apologise." He cut me off.

I took a step away, wondering if I could open the doors and flee like a mad woman to my freedom without him chasing me.

"I've frightened you." there was something apologetic in his frustrated tone.

"Yes." I murmured, refusing to sugarcoat my words.

He sighed, stepping down another stair. He was almost to the bottom, in the light. I could almost see him. "I assure you that I'm not as terrible as your father has told you."

"I wouldn't know." I murmured. "All he's told me is that you were going to kill him over a rose."

He faltered. "He hasn't told you… how I look?"

"… No." I replied.

He retreated up a stair. "Then I-"

"I want to see you." I muttered.

He paused. The glittering eyes regarded me for a long moment before he replied, "You don't know what you're asking."

"I don't care." I replied, gaining courage from his hesitance. "I'm not going to just stand around and let you gawk at me whenever you like. If you get to see me, I get to see you."

"_Fine_." He mutilated the word so it was more of a growl than anything. He stepped down the remaining stairs and into the light, snarling, "Feast your eyes."

The moment the light revealed him, I shrieked and whirled back towards the door, throwing myself against it only to find that it was locked, although I grabbed the handle and tugged on it in fear.

I heard the Beast swear under his breath before coming towards me, easily taking one stride for two of my own. "Adara…"

His voice was apologetic again. I turned to face him, shielding my face with my hands and crumpling to the ground in my terror. "Please, don't kill me!"

His face was indescribably hideous. It was like that of an animal, covered in coarse brown fur. He had the ears of a wolf, and, even though he stood on his hind legs, he had the body of an animal as well, including a tail. Well, maybe his paws were a little more like hands and feet, though they had fur and claws on them as well. He was much too tall, and his back was slightly curved, as though his head was too heavy for him to carry. He wore loose clothes, an unbleached linen shirt and some tattered black trousers, in an attempt to look more human, but it only served to make him more terrifying. His teeth where sharp and white against his brown lips as he opened his mouth to speak.

"I won't kill you," he said, slowly coming towards me and getting down on one knee so that he was closer to my level. "I would never hurt you."

He offered his paw. I glanced at his deadly claws, and then back up into his dark face. What reason did I have to trust him? He had destroyed my family for something as trivial as a single rose.

"Why should I trust you?" I spat, scrambling to get further away from him

His eyes bore into me with a sad intensity. I hadn't noticed before, but they were an icy-blue. That human sorrow shocked me into realizing that he was more than just a monster. My own words reverberated inside my head. _Maybe someone who loves roses so much won't be so bad._

The Beast's hand was still stretched outwards to me. We stared at each other, he on his knee with his hand extended while I was crouched up against the doorway.

"Please, Adara…" he murmured, begging me with his eyes, "Trust me…"

Again, I looked down at his claws. They were terrifying, but when I looked back into his pleading eyes, they seemed so human. Could it be possible that this creature meant me no harm? Could it be that he was just lonely?

"Please…" he whispered.

Hesitantly, I put my hand in his paw. "I… I will trust you…"

The Beast closed his eyes and stood, helping me up. When he opened them, he seemed to be fighting with emotions.

"There is a room ready for you." He growled softly, desperately without success to humanize his voice. "There are servants in the castle, and they can bring you whatever you desire. And, if you need anything that they can't give you, you need only ask me. I…" he cleared his throat. "You will be denied nothing."

I didn't answer. Awkwardly, I pulled my hand from his grasp, trying not to shiver at the coarse pads of skin he had on his "palms" and "fingers".

His eyes hardened. "I'll take you to your room. Then we'll get you something to eat. You must be hungry after your trip."

He started to walk away and I followed closely, quickening my pace so I could keep up. I forced myself not to look at the gruesome paintings, murmuring, "All of this will take a little getting used to."

"Yes." The Beast nodded. "I should warn you… the castle rearranges itself periodically. Between that and the servants, you'll have your hands full."

I cleared my throat. "Are they difficult?"

"They are. They enjoy playing tricks on me…" he turned a corner and led me to a door at the very end of the hall, murmuring, "I suppose that their actions are understandable."

"Why's that?" I asked, glancing up at his face and wincing again as I took in his monstrous appearance.

He noticed the wince and looked away, ignoring my question. We came to the end of the hall and he gestured to the door, murmuring, "This is your room."

The door opened at his gesture and a gasped when I saw the inside. It was much cleaner than the foyer of the castle. In the middle of it was a huge canopy bed covered in a white silk bedspread. The canopy itself was embroidered with a single blood-red rose. A writing desk sat against one wall, covered be pens, paper, and inks of all colours. There was a vanity against the other wall, covered by hundreds of make-ups, perfumes, brushes, combs, and ribbons. Beside the vanity was an open wardrobe filled with beautiful gowns. Opposite of that wall there was a shelf covered with books, a fireplace, and another table covered with roses. Then there was a door. Beast motioned at it and it opened, revealing a large tub, another fireplace, and a shelf of towels.

"It's beautiful!" I exclaimed in spite of myself. I thought back to when father was rich, but I couldn't remember anything being this beautiful.

Beast was about to smile and then stopped himself. "You like it?"

"I…" I faltered, remembering where I was. "It's lovely."

He stood by my door while I wandered into the room. "I'll leave you to yourself for a while, then." He said. "When you're ready to come to supper, just tell the servants that you are ready and they will notify me."

"But how do I find the-"

He stepped outside and began to close the door behind him. "Remember," he said, "If you need anything, do not hesitate to ask."

The door shut. "… Servants…"

-

**Dun dun DUN! They meet at last!**

**This chapter was _The King of the Golden Hall_ from the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers soundtrack (If you're only seeing a notice on the song for the first time, read the AN in chapter 1. It's an edit).**


	5. Chapter 5

**This chapter was _Evacuating London_ from the Chronicles of Narnia soundtrack. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 5**

_His friendship is not easily won, but it is something worth having – _Michael Joseph

I set my skimpy parcel of belongings on my new bed, looking around in confusion. The Beast had given me time to freshen up; I supposed that I had to do just that.

I walked back into the bathroom to find that the tub had already been filled. My heart jumped in my chest. Obviously, this had been done by servants, but I'd yet to see one. Where were they hiding? And how was I to tell the servants when I was ready to go to dinner?

"I… uh… I'm ready to… um… have my bath now…" I said to the air, feeling rather stupid and wondering where the servants where. Behind the curtains, maybe?. "Um… thank you for filling the… the tub for me…"

As I stared at the curtains, I was sure that they shifted. I strode to the window and threw the curtains back, glaring at the servants.

Except, there were no servants.

I swallowed hard and stole into the bathroom, undressing and jumping into the tub before I could give myself a chance to change my mind.

-

The Beast walked into his own room. There he kept the one of the last three remaining mirrors in the castle.

He hated mirrors. He hated seeing his own hideous reflection in them, so he had destroyed all but the three. Well, two, actually, if you didn't count the enchanted one.

The enchanted mirror wasn't in his room; it was in his study, where no one but he was able to tread.

The other two mirrors, the ones that showed reflections, were separated. One was in Adara's room, where he never had to look at it, and the other was in his own room.

It was true; he did hate mirrors, but he had kept this one for a reason unknown even to him. Today, for the first time in years, he looked into the eyes of his reflection.

This, his cage, the body that he was trapped in, disgusted him. It hadn't changed since the first time he had laid eyes upon it. He was still as hideous as he remembered.

"No wonder she didn't want to touch me." He muttered.

-

I got out of the bath water and wrapped myself in a towel. I had forgotten how wonderful it was just to relax in a tub full of hot water.

As I left the bathroom, went to close doors of my wardrobe. I closed one and noticed the full-length mirror on the inner panel on the second door. Since there was only the hand mirror back at home, I hadn't seen myself in a full-length mirror in… well, in about ten years.

I studied myself. I wasn't as bad as I had thought; I actually looked almost pretty, if I just wasn't so terribly plain… but still, I was nothing compared to Rowena and Aisling. I sighed, thinking about my family. They would never guess how kind the Beast was to me…

I stepped back, startled. _The Beast, kind? _

Yes, maybe he had given me a beautiful room… but he had taken my family away from me. And all on the sake of one little rose. That wasn't kindness.

I sighed. I missed them already.

Suddenly, the wardrobe's second door flung itself open. I jumped and came down with a shriek as the dresses seemed to come alive and dance out.

"What… who's doing that?" I whimpered, glancing around uneasily. "Speak. I command that you speak!"

"'Tis a bit of a pickle…" a low, feminine voice muttered. "The master will be-"

"Hush!" a higher; more bubbly voice cut in. "We aren't supposed to speak with her! The master said!"

"He also said that we must obey her orders," the other one said. "And she _did_ ask for us to speak…"

"Oh dear…" the higher voice sighed.

"Who are you?" I asked having finally built up the courage to interrupt their conversation.

The deeper voice sighed. "We have to tell her, Molly. She'd probably find out soon enough, anyhow."

The higher voice, Molly, sighed as well. "Emily, you know that the master will be angry… we shouldn't be disobeying his orders…"

"I told you, he ordered us to obey the lady! If those two orders overlap, well… he should have thought it out better. And besides, after what he did to us, I'm not all that inclined to do as he asks." Emily raised her voice to include me in the conversation. "We are Molly and Emily. We are the servants of this castle, sentenced to invisibility unless someone can break the-"

"That is quite enough!" Molly snapped. "Don't make a bloody novel out of it!"

"Meh." Emily grunted.

"Okay…" I whispered, backing up closer to my bed. "And… what are you doing, exactly?"

"We were only trying to help you pick out a nice dress." Emily muttered. "And then you had to go and frighten us!"

"Oh…" I murmured, looking around, trying to catch even the slightest hint of their location. "I… I'm sorry. I hadn't meant to scare you…"

"It's alright." Molly replied. "Emily's just a little uptight these days. Now, how about that dress?"

"Uptight…" Emily muttered, pulling out a lovely red dress. "How about this, then? Red will look lovely on you…"

I gasped in delight. The dress had an empress waist and a square neckline. The sleeves were form fitting up to the elbow, and from there they belled out beautifully. The skirt of the dress hung nicely, and as I stared at the beautiful fabric I remembered that my mother had had a dress like that when I was young.

"It's perfect." I murmured.

For shoes, we picked black slippers, and I was also shown thousands of tiaras, necklaces, rings, and bracelets. In the end I chose not to wear any of the jewellery provided for me, though Molly and Emily insisted that it was meant for me. I chose instead to wear the locket and ring that I had brought with me, ignoring their comments of how "pathetically plain" they were and that they "did nothing for me".

"My, she sure does clean up nicely, don't you think, Molly?" Emily asked.

"Yes. Simply stunning."

"Thank you." I said, taking my skirt into my hands and curtsying to the mirror.

"Well, are you ready to go to dinner?" Molly asked.

"Yes, I am."

"Then follow me." She replied.

"Molly, how is she supposed to follow you? You're invisible!" Emily muttered.

"Just follow my voice, then." She snapped. "My, Emily, you don't have to make everything so complicated! There, you fetch the master and I shall bring the girl."

"But I wanted to-"

"Go and fetch the Beast!"

"Fine." Emily left in a huff.

"Now then, let's get you to the dining room…"

-

Emily went to the Beast's door and knocked quietly.

"Yes?" A voice from inside boomed forth with an intensity that never failed to make Emily feel small.

She recalled how she had been mistreated before the curse set in and sighed, hoping that he wouldn't be as cruel to Adara. "She's ready. She'll be awaiting you in the dining room."

"Excellent."

-

The dining room was magnificent. The table and chairs were made of gleaming mahogany, and the dishes and cutlery on the table was fit for a king. There was a white silk tablecloth with vines embroidered around the edges, as well as matching napkins. The walls had a more cobwebs than a normal dining room would have, but I ignored them.

There was a bottle of fine champagne on the incredibly long table, as well as more food than I'd ever seen in my entire life. There were only two places set, across from one another. My heart skipped a beat. Did I have to eat with the Beast?

My question was answered when the Beast appeared behind me, looking exactly as he had the first time that I saw him.

"You look lovely." He murmured.

I gasped and turned. "Oh!"

"I didn't mean to startle you." he cleared his throat. I wondered if he was blushing under his fur. "Do you mind if I join you?"

I certainly did mind, but I was to scared to say so. "No, no, I don't mind. Please, sit down."

The Beast pulled out my chair for me like a gentleman, and then sat down at his on seat. "Is your room to your liking?"

"Um… yes." I replied. "The dresses are all beautiful and the jewellery is lovely."

"You like it?" he asked.

"Very much." I guaranteed him.

As I finished speaking, a plate covered in a fancy sort of pasta floated onto the table in front of me. The cutlery clanked as it was set down, also when the Beast's plate was set in front of him. The food smelled like nothing I had ever smelled before.

The Beast lifted his glass, which had just been filled with an expensive red wine, to his lips and took a sip. I looked away, but not quickly enough to avoid seeing those sharp teeth through the wine glass.

I picked up my own glass once it was filled, taking a small drink. I had never really drunk wine at dinner before, just on special occasions when father decided to buy some. It was unlike any of the cheep wine I had ever tasted.

The Beast would only eat when I wasn't looking at him. I assumed that it was because he didn't know how to eat in a humane way, so I kept my eyes on my own plate.

The food tasted heavenly. I can barely describe how it all but melted in my mouth. After the pasta, some sort of chicken was served, and then a delicious, dark-green salad. I had never eaten so well at home, not even when we were rich. After the meal, a dark-chocolate cake with white, sugary icing was brought out for desert.

"Did you like it?" Beast asked after the meal.

I nodded vigorously. "I've never eaten anything that delicious before…" suddenly, a horrible thought came to mind. What if the Beast was only trying to fatten me up before he ate me? Maybe I was still to die after all.

My face must have turned pale, because the Beast suddenly asked, "Adara? Is something the matter?"

"I… uh…" I blushed. "Nothing. I'm just tired, I suppose. It's been a long day."

"Yes." He nodded. "It's not every day that you're forced from your home to come face-to-face with your worst nightmare."

My face had gone back almost to it's original colour, but I turned red again on hearing his comment. "Well…" I couldn't really argue with his words though.

The Beast only shook his head. "No, that's alright. You don't have to shield your thoughts from me. God knows, I think the same thing every time I pass a mirror."

"Really, you aren't all that bad." I said, wishing with all my heart that it were true. To my surprise, a tiny spot of pity began to worm its way into my heart.

He brushed my words away. "Is there anything else you need? If you're going to stay here, you may as well be entertained. What do you enjoy doing?"

I couldn't tell whether or not he was being sarcastic. "I love to read."

"That's all?" he asked.

"Well…" I cleared my throat. "I can't quite remember. I haven't had the time to do anything I enjoy lately. I've been too busy taking care of my…my family."

He nodded.

"Well, it's getting rather late." I said, yawning to make my desire known. I could only pretend to be pleasant for so long. "I'd better get back to my room…"

"I can take you there." The Beast said, already out of his chair and coming around the table. "You'll probably need help finding your way back."

"Yes, all of these halls are pretty confusing." I confessed. "I have no idea how you manage to keep them all straight in your head."

"It wasn't easy at first." He admitted. "But you'll be able to find your way around on your own soon. You just need to get used to it."

He led me down the dark hallways, turning left here, turning right there, and silent most of the time. Finally we stopped, but not in front of my room.

"Where… where are we?" I asked.

"This is my study." The Beast answered, his voice low and strangely foreboding. "This is the one place in the entire castle where you are forbidden to enter. Do you understand?"

His voice wasn't threatening, but his point was clear. A small chill ran through me when I answered, "Yes… I… I do understand."

"Good." He said. "Now I will take you back to your room so you can get some sleep."

We went to my room silently, and I entered the room just as silently, relieved to be free of the Beast's company.

"Good night, Adara." He said, standing in the doorway. "I hope that you… enjoyed yourself, some-what."

I nodded, though I hadn't enjoyed myself in the slighted. "Thank you."

He closed the door, realizing that I wanted to be alone.

I sighed, muttering, "Molly? Emily?"

I received no answer and decided that I was alone. With a lonely moan I slipped off my gown and found myself a nightdress. I pulled the nightdress over my head and fell on the bed.

"This is hopeless." I murmured.

-

"You didn't have to be so snippy about telling her." Emily muttered as she made up the Torin's bed.

"She's already scared out of her wits, Torin." Molly agreed. "You don't need to make this worse for her."

"Don't call me that." Torin snapped.

"Call you what?" Molly asked.

"Don't call me by my birth name. I hate it." he growled. "It's a human name for a human body. And besides, I had to be sure that she wouldn't go in there if she was lost. I don't want her to find the enchanted mirror."

"Why not? Finding the mirror isn't going to kill her." Emily mumbled. "Here, Molly, pass me that pillow."

Molly tossed the pillow across the room.

"I don't want her to see me… the way I was. I don't want her to know what happened. If she sees how I looked before…" his voice drifted off.

"What?" Emily asked. "And besides, what are the odds that she would even ask to see that? Or that she'd even know that the mirror was enchanted?"

Torin cleared his throat. "I found something about the curse in one of the old books in the library."

"Don't tell me about it." Molly muttered. "I don't want to hear anything more about this stupid curse."

"It had to do with lifting the curse." He added.

"Tell me everything." Molly insisted.

"… It has something to do with…" he cleared his throat. "Love."

"What does it have to do with love?" Emily prodded.

"Someone has to fall in love with me." Torin sighed.

"Oh." Molly's voice was sullen.

"Perfect. Our only escape is for the unlovable terror to be loved." Emily spat. "We're doomed."

Torin shifted in his high-backed chair. "You're only saying that because of the incident regarding your quarters."

"The cook almost _died_ in that cess pit." Emily hissed. "Don't you pretend that you're innocent here. You're the one that bought the curse into effect, not me."

"Emily…" Molly cut in.

"And don't think for one moment that this girl is going to fall for you." Emily growled. "No one would ever love you. Even if you were still handsome, your personality is enough to poison anyone's good feelings."

With that, Emily stormed out, the only evidence of her leaving being the slam of the door and the sudden silence.

Torin sighed. "She's right."

"Don't say that." Molly cut in, trying to be kind. "What exactly did the book say? Does she just need to love you?"

"We need to love each other." Torin murmured.

"… Oh." Molly sighed. "And do you think that she's the one to…"

"To break the spell?" Torin, his eyes glowing soft with hope. "I hope so. Maybe, someday, I'll be a human again…"

"But how are you going to make her fall in love with you?" Molly asked. "I mean, you can't just waltz up and propose tomorrow."

"I know… I know…" he sighed.

"And, before that, _you_ need to actually fall in love with _her_. I mean, you can't just force yourself to love the girl."

"I know." Torin murmured. "I'm trying to love her. She can be quite beautiful at times…" he glanced at his paw, remembering how she had put her hand in his when he asked her to trust him. He also recalled how she pulled her hand away and winced at his face and curled his "fingers" into a fist. "But she can also be… difficult."

"But she seems nice enough." Molly murmured.

"But what of… this?" Torin asked, gesturing to his horrible face.

"Maybe she can see past that." Molly suggested.

"How can anyone see past this?" he asked, putting his paw up in front of his face. "I'm really nothing more than an animal. She winces at the very sight of me. There's no way she'll be able to love me like this." He sighed, slumping in his chair. "It's hopeless."

"Give it time." Molly murmured. "She'll come around."

-

**Poor Torin. I feel so bad for him, even though this is really his own fault.**

**Any who... Emily and Molly have normal names! They didn't to begin with, but since it's been three years since I've looked over the story I'd totally forgotten how to pronounce their old names. So, I renamed them.**

**Whoever can guess which servant is based on me (it shouldn't be too hard if you've read anything else I've written) gets a cookie.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Any who, the song I listened to while writing this chapter is _Bonny Portmore_ by Loreena McKinnet. **

AND HAPPY B-DAY WanderingChild 2007!

-

**Chapter 6**

_Difficult times have helped me understand better than before, how infinitely rich and beautiful life is in every way, and that so many things that one goes worrying about are of no importance whatsoever – _Isak Dinisen

I woke up the next morning with a bit of a headache. I covered my eyes, forgetting for a moment where I was.

"Good morning." A disembodied voice said.

I recognized it as Emily. _So this wasn't all just a bad dream…_ I'll admit that I was disappointed.

"Did you sleep well?" Molly asked.

"I did, yes." I confessed.

"Are you almost ready for your breakfast, or would you prefer a late brunch?" Emily asked.

"I'll eat breakfast." I said.

"Well then you are going to have to brush your hair." Molly said.

"What's wrong with my hair?"

"Have you ever seen an angry cat?" Emily asked, her invisible hands going through the wardrobe and extracting something pink.

"Yes…" I said, disliking where this conversation was leading…

"You know how, when a cat is angry, all the fur puffs up and the cat looks incredibly odd and stupid?" she asked.

"Never mind." I sighed, grabbing the hairbrush from Molly's hands. As I brushed the knots out, I muttered, "At least people can _see_ my hair."

"Oh, what a terrible jab at my self confidence." Emily said sarcastically, hitting me over the head with a pillow. "No one can see me having a bad hair day, either. Now, put on that nice pink dress that I picked out."

I narrowed my eyes at it. "That one?" I asked, pointing to a dress with a very, _very_ low neckline.

Silence.

"She can't see you, you idiot." Molly said. "You can't _nod_ at her, for pity sake."

"Oh. Yes… that one." Emily said, her voice low with embarrassment.

"I'm not wearing that."

"Why not? What's wrong with it?" Emily asked, her voice rising in agitation.

"The neckline is too low. I have self-respect. You can't possibly expect me to wear that." I said.

"What are you going to wear instead? The clothes that _you_ brought? They're so ratty and out of style…" she shuddered vocally.

"It's better than looking like a desperate prostitute." I muttered.

"Oh, come on, the dress isn't that bad…" Molly said, picking it up and holding it against me. "Here, try it on."

"No."

"Oh, come on Adara, it won't bite you." Molly said.

I felt someone grab at my dressing gown. "I said no! I'm not going to wear it. Come on, you must have something other than that…" I went up to the wardrobe and pulled out a baby blue dress with navy blue embroidery on skirt to match the thread on the seams, which was also navy blue. Most importantly, though, it had a higher neckline. "How about this?"

"But pink is your colour!" Emily insisted. "That blue dress wouldn't do you justice…"

"I'm not going to wear the pink one." I said doggedly.

"Why are you being so stubborn?" Molly asked.

"Because I like being stubborn. Now, just give me the blue dress and then I can go for breakfast." I muttered.

"Fine. Here. Take it. Be a horrible blue creature. See if I care." Emily grumbled, tossing the dress at me with a pair of matching dark-blue shoes. "And I suppose that you'll refuse to wear a nice necklace with a sapphire on it to, right?"

I sighed. "Wrong. I'll wear a necklace if you promise to be quiet."

"And a ring? And a tiara?" she prodded.

I sighed gloomily. "Fine."

"Yes!" Emily said, her glory undaunted by my depressed look. "First of all, no gold. Gold and blue look so… meh. We'll find you a nice light tiara made of silver… here we are. It even had sapphires and diamonds in it. Now, this necklace with the sapphire pendent… and now this ring with the sapphire and the diamond chips…" she held all three pieces in front of me. "We'll do your hair all twisted up so the tiara sticks out nicely."

I shrugged. By now, I didn't have a choice. I was just glad not to be wearing the pink dress. "I'll just put the gown on first so that I don't mess up my hair later."

"Good idea." Molly said.

-

Torin paced his room nervously. Today he wore a dark brown cape over his white shirt and black pants. He glanced in the mirror. His fur wasn't tangled; he's spent the better part of the morning making sure of that. Today he had a surprise planned for Adara.

-

I came out of the bathroom wearing the beautiful blue dress. I had to admit, this one was ravishing. Emily… or Molly, I'm not sure which one, picked up a brush and the tiara they planed to force onto my head. I sighed.

This was _not_ going to be pleasant.

"Are you ready to be beautiful?" Emily asked.

I sighed. "I guess."

She dropped the brush. "You guess? You _guess_? Molly and I work our fingers to the bone trying to make you look like a princes, and you _guess_ that you're ready?" she sighed loudly. "You just aren't happy with anything, are you?"

"Oh, don't be so melodramatic. It's early; the poor girl's probably just tired." Molly said soothingly.

"I'm not being melodramatic." Emily muttered, picking the brush up again. "Do you know just how annoying it is to be invisible? I can't see to do my own hair up nicely. I probably look absolutely hideous right now. The least you could do is let me do yours."

"Alright, alright. I'm ready." I muttered.

"Oh, goody!" she exclaimed, grabbing a handful of hair and scraping it back with the brush. "You're going to look simply marvellous when I'm finished with you… now here, Molly, put the jewellery on her while I do this…"

"Ow." I whimpered as she brutally pulled at my hair. "Why are you pulling it so hard…?

"Oh, hush up. It hurts to be beautiful." Emily muttered. "Here, Molly, once you've got the jewellery on her, hand me some pins… we'll put this hair in its place…"

"Ow."

-

About half an hour later, Emily dubbed me ready. I'll admit, she did a pretty nice job on my hair. I felt like a princess, the way it curled up so gracefully, and I couldn't argue that the tiara looked stunning the way it stuck up in front of my dark brown locks.

"So, are you ready for lunch?" Molly asked, opening the door to my room.

"I thought I was getting ready for breakfast!" I exclaimed.

"Well, it took too long to get you ready. It's almost lunch time now." Emily explained. "As I recall, you refused to wear a nice pink gown that I had picked out…"

I stared in her direction, my mouth hanging open. Finally, realizing just how dim-witted I was sure to have looked, I closed my mouth. "Never mind." I said. "I'll just skip it all entirely."

"No!" Molly said, running up to me. "You can't do that! Torin… I mean, the Master would be crushed. He's looking forward to being able to see you again."

I blinked. "Torin? His name is Torin?"

"Oh, Molly, now look what you've done! No one's supposed to know the his birth name!" Emily moaned. "Now he's going to blame us because she doesn't like him."

"… Right." Molly cleared her throat. "Well, um… Adara, you can keep a secret, right? You won't tell the master we told you his name, right?"

"Well, whose fault is that?" Molly spat.

"Yours, actually." Emily pointed out.

I stared at the empty air. "Okay… um… I'll keep the secret."

"You're an angel." Molly sighed in relief.

Emily asked, "So, are you going to eat you lunch with Tor… the Beast?"

I sighed. "I don't think I have a choice."

"Good girl." Molly said. "We'll just finish making your bed, and then we can go."

"Oh, I can make my own bed…" I said, picking up a pillow.

Emily pulled the pillow away from me. "No can do." She said." Tor… Master said that we are to provide every service to you, and that includes making beds."

I sighed. "You two really know how to make someone feel obsolete." I muttered.

"Why, thank you." Emily said.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door. "H-hello?" The Beast's voice filtered through the door. "Is anyone in there…?"

"Oh no!" Emily hissed. "We must be later than we realized!"

I started towards the door, but Molly stopped me. "Adara, you must _never_ call him Torin!" she whispered in urgency. "If he ever realized that you knew…" she trailed off.

I nodded my understanding. "I swear I won't." I opened the door. "Hello." I said, looking up into the Beast's icy gaze.

He looked down at me, his mouth agape. "You… you look beautiful." He murmured.

I blushed. "I… um… thank you." I replied.

The Beast stared at me silently until good manners took over. "Er… are you ready?" he asked.

I blinked. "Ready… for what?" I asked.

"Lunch." He replied. "You missed breakfast… and I have a surprise for you…" he offered his arm. "Shall we go?"

I faltered for a moment, and then took it. "Yes."

-

After eating lunch, the Beast lead me down a few halls until he brought me to a pair of tall mahogany doors.

"Are you ready?" he asked. I nodded. With a grunt, he pushed both doors open, revealing a large, dark room.

I glanced inside.

"Go in." the Beast prompted.

I looked up at him.

"It's perfectly safe." He promised, stepping inside as proof. He extended his hand. "Trust me."

After a moment, I took his hand and, reminding myself not to stare at him or flinch away, stepped inside. The dark pressed in around me, and he Beast closed the door so that not even a spare ray of light could come in. he let go of my hands and went up to a window, pulling at the heavy curtains.

Slowly, light began to flood the room, revealing a maze of shelves, each covered in books. Flabbergasted, I went up to the nearest shelf and took out a book.

"Where did you get all of these?" I asked in quiet astonishment.

"They've always been here." He replied. "These books have been passed down…"

"And now they're yours…" I murmured, putting the book down.

The Beast cleared his throat. "Yours, you mean."

I looked up at him. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"You said you love to read." He said. "These books are for you to enjoy."

I touched the thick leather binding of the book I had been holding. "You mean it?"

"I do." He replied.

"I… I don't know what to say…" I murmured. "I… I couldn't possibly accept this…"

He shook his head, putting something in the palm of my hand and closing my fingers over it.

"Please," he whispered, "I want you to accept this…"

I tried to find my voice but I couldn't. I nodded instead.

"Good." He murmured, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to… do you think that you can find your way back on your own?"

I nodded once more, and, without saying anything, he left. After a few minutes, I opened my hand. In it was a rose pendant on a thin silver chain.

-

"I've never seen a piece so exquisitely made." Emily exclaimed, examining the necklace that the Beast had given me.

"It's beautiful." Molly agreed.

"Yes… and it would go lovely with that pink dress that I picked out for you…" Emily put in.

"I don't know if I should accept all this…" I murmured.

"Why not?" Molly asked.

"I'm just not sure about it…"

"But it's only a necklace! What harm could it do?" Emily asked.

"But it's not just a necklace!" I protested. "He gave me a library, too! And this room… and all these clothes… he's giving me everything I could ever ask for!"

"Isn't that a good thing?" Emily asked.

"It would seem so, wouldn't it?" I sighed, "But I don't feel right accepting everything. And he's just so…"

"So what?" Molly asked.

"He can be very kind when he wants to be," I murmured, "But he also has this temper…"

"Ah." Emily murmured.

"I just don't understand why he is the way he is." I muttered.

"Master Torin once had everything he could ever dream of." Molly said suddenly. "But one mistake destroyed everything for him."

"What?" I asked.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you." She murmured. "That's something that you'll have to figure out for yourself."

"Oh, can't we tell her?" Emily begged. "Please?"

"We couldn't; it's forbidden." Molly replied.

"Then what am I to do?" I asked.

"Look to your heart." Molly answered simply. "That's all that I can recommend."

-

"So?" Torin asked when Emily and Molly finally entered his room, "Did she like it?"

"Why, whatever do you mean?" Emily asked.

"Don't toy with me." He growled. "Does she like it?"

"She does." Molly paused for a moment. "Although, I think that you're going a little too fast."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I mean all of these gifts at once… it's confusing her." Molly explained. "She has no idea what's going on… she doesn't know that she's supposed to be the one to-"

"Have you been speaking to her?" he asked suddenly.

Molly was caught off guard. "What?"

"Have you been actually speaking to her?" he asked, his eyes cold. "I specifically ordered you not to."

"Well…" Molly began, "That may be true, but-"

"But you also ordered us to follow _her_ orders as well." Emily interrupted suddenly. "And she ordered us to answer her. It isn't our fault if two of your orders overlap on each other."

"Why are you speaking to her?" Torin asked,

"Because she's lonely. If you hadn't noticed, you're the one keeping her from her family." she didn't notice his face twitch. "She needs someone to-"

"Enough!" he growled.

"-Confide in." Emily finished, and then both servants fell silent.

Torin's whole body shook in the effort not to destroy something. He took a deep, shaky breath. "Don't you realize this is my only chance to free myself?" he asked. "I need to fall for her and for her to fall for me… and you two despise me. How do I know you aren't telling her terrible things to make her hate me?"

"We don't care about you enough to destroy your freedom with our own." Emily muttered.

Molly cleared her throat. "We haven't told her anything to endanger her feelings for you. We didn't mean any harm…"

He fell into his chair. "But we can't destroy this chance…"

"You have to consider what Adara is going through." Molly reminded him. "We did steal her away from her family…"

"She came of her own free will…"

"… To save her father." Emily put in.

"What am I to do?" he asked.

"Try to make this as easy as possible for the poor girl." Molly murmured. "And I think that she appreciates Emily and I for company, as little a comfort as it may be."

"Fine." Torin sighed.

-

**Yeah, I totally didn't steal the library scene from Disney... (shifty eyes)**

**Alright, alright, so I didn't come up with it all on my own. But I LOVE the idea of Torin giving Adara a library! It's so... warm anf fuzzy...**

**... Even though he's being kind of stalker-y now...**

**I'm totally fangirling over this story now. I'm beyond obsessed.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

_Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time with a tremendous whack – _Winston Churchill

The next day, I woke up to find that, once again, Emily had picked out the pink dress.

"I am not going to wear that." I muttered.

"Why not?" se asked. "It'd look lovely on you!"

"I will never wear that dress because I have a sense of pride and the neck line is so low that…never mind." I sighed.

"Well… you're really going to have to wear that dress." Molly said.

"And why is that?" I asked, a sinking feeling taking residence in the pit of my stomach.

"Because Emily hid all of your other dresses." Molly muttered.

"What?" I cried, jumping up and going to the wardrobe. Sure enough, there was nothing there. "You can't do that!" I said. "I won't leave my room unless you give me another dress."

"She's bluffing." Emily muttered.

"I am not." I said. "I will _never_ wear that dress."

-

Three hours later, I sat on my bed and stared at the dress, my stomach growling. "This is cruel." I muttered.

"You could go out and eat if you got dressed." Emily said. "Come on, Torin is probably worried sick."

"Oh, come on, she's only five minutes late." Molly muttered.

I had bathed, put my hair in a loose bun, and donned the beautiful rose necklace that the Beast had given me while I waited for Emily to come to her senses and give me another dress, but it seemed that that would never happen.

"Fine." I muttered. "I'll wear the stupid dress."

"I thought you'd see it my way." Emily said, picking up the dress and handing it to me. I took the dress and put it on, wondering why Emily had to be so bloody difficult.

The neck, as I've said before, was low, leaving my shoulders bare. The sleeves were arm hugging until they reached the elbows, where they flared out and were so long that they practically covered my hands. The bodice was tight down to my hips, and then the skirt flared out like she sleeves did. The dress was light pink and silver thread lined the neck, waist, sleeves, and skirt.

I gave my room a defeated look, hoping that Emily would see. "There you go." I muttered. "I'm in the dress."

"And you look magnificent." Molly assured me. "Now… what are you going to do with your hair?"

"I'm going to leave it the way it is." I replied.

"What?" Emily asked, "But why?"

"Because yesterday we compromised and you got to do my hair. Today, you hid all of my dresses and forced me to wear this… this _thing_, so-"

"It's a dress."

I glared in her general direction. "I refuse to let you do my hair."

"Oh…" Emily muttered, "Please?"

"No." I replied, opening the heavy wooden door to my room and stepping outside…

…And running into the Beast.

"Hello, Adara." He said. He glanced once at my dress, noting the necklace that I was wearing, and then his eyes moved back to my face. "I was just coming to see where you are."

"Sorry to keep you waiting," I said, closing the door. "I was just having… dress troubles…"

"As if…" I heard Emily mutter, "You're just being-"

I slammed the heavy door closed. "Shall we go?" I asked.

"Yes." He replied.

-

After we had eaten, the Beast led me to one of many doors in his castle and swung it open. I peered out to see thousands and thousands of rose bushes. _This is where Father was captured…_ I thought, looking up into the Beast's face.

"Yes," he murmured as if reading my mind. "This is where it happened."

"Oh…"

The Beast looked out into the rose garden, and then back at me. "You may go out, if you wish." He said. "It's beautiful; you'd probably enjoy it…"

"But… what about you?" I asked, looking into his piercing eyes. "Wouldn't you come with me?"

He shook his head. "I rarely leave the castle. It only reminds me of…" his voice lowered so I could barely hear it, "… the freedom that I've lost."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well…" he sighed. "It's a long story."

"I have plenty of time…" I murmured.

"I…" the Beast sighed again. "I… I don't quite know… where to begin…" he murmured. "It… it will have to wait until another time."

"Please, Beast?" I asked. "It's such a beautiful day… come outside with me."

"I don't like leaving the castle." He murmured. "I'm sorry, Adara."

"Well then, I won't go outside, either." I said. I was struck with a sudden compassion for him, realizing how sad and lonely his life must be. "I'm not going to leave you all alone."

"You don't need to do that." He said quietly. "I've held you here like a prisoner. At least you could-"

"Enough of that." I said. "If you don't go outside, I won't go either. Now… there must be something that we can do inside."

The Beast looked away. "I don't know…"

"Well… what did you used to do?" I asked. "Before I came, that is."

He was silent for a long while. Finally, he murmured, "I waited…"

I gazed up into his eyes. _He waited? For what?_ His voice had a melancholy ring to it. I decided that it was safer if I didn't press the subject.

"Adara," he suddenly said, "Would you like to go to the library?"

My eyes lit up. "Of course!"

For the first time since I'd known him, the Beast smiled. It was a frightening expression, but I was beginning to find that I was used to him and I wasn't as scared as I had been.

"I'm glad that you appreciate it so much." He murmured.

"I've always loved reading."

The Beast offered his arm. "Shall we?"

I put my hand on his elbow. "Let's."

-

"The dress wasn't that bad, now was it?" Emily asked when I entered my room a few minutes after sunset.

"I'll admit it- I can stand the dress." I muttered. "But don't you _dare_ ever pull another stunt like you did this morning."

Her voice grew serious. "I make no promises."

"Oh, Emily…" Molly sighed. "So, Adara how was your day?"

"Marvellous." I replied, slipping into the other room to change into my nightgown. "That library has so many books… and some of them are hilarious! And the Beast- he read the funniest story out loud, and one character had such a high voice-"

"Dear lord - that was you two?" Emily asked. "I thought a family of crazy rats had taken residence in the castle."

"Ha, ha." I muttered as I came out of the room. "Very funny."

Molly began to braid my hair. "It is good to hear that you had so much fun."

"Oh, I'm exhausted from laughing." I replied.

We were silent for a long while. My hair was braided, and I began to get into bed. As I drifted to sleep, I heard Emily and Molly murmuring softly to each other.

"Do you think that she's the one?" Emily's voice whispered.

"Well… they seem to enjoy each others-"

"Molly! Please, answer the question."

After a few moments, Molly's voice answered, "I'm sure of it."

When I woke up, a beautiful yellow dress was laid out at the end of my bed. The neckline was higher than the pink one, and the sleeves and skirt were slightly looser. A tiny silver tiara was laid beside the dress, as well as matching yellow slippers.

"Ah, she's awake." Molly said. "Good."

"Morning." I yawned. "I see you picked a dress that I'll actually wear."

"Well, we felt as though you earned it." Emily said mysteriously.

I got out of bed, rolling my eyes. "I'll get ready for breakfast… and don't pull any dress tricks while I'm gone."

Emily laughed. "Like I said, I make no promises."

-

The Beast stood happily in his room, studying the view from his window. As he watched, the wind gently blew the rose petals from his garden.

Adara wasn't the only one who had enjoyed their time together. The Beast had loved every singly moment that they had been together.

_Perhaps she really is the one._ He thought.

-

I stood in front of my mirror, gazing at my reflection.

My hair was in braids on either side of my head, decorated with yellow ribbon, and the simple tiara stood graceful on my head. The dress was a perfect fit and, I had to admit, I felt like a queen.

"You look beautiful." Molly murmured. "There's no denying it."

"I'm not sure about me being beautiful," I said, "But thank you."

"Wait until the Beast sees you." Emily exclaimed.

There was a sudden knock on the door.

"Speak of the devil…" I murmured. I ran to the door, making sure that everything was in place.

"You look fine." Emily muttered. "Just open the door."

I blushed. "Oh… be quiet." After a second, I unbolted the door.

The Beast stood before me. "Good morning, Adara." He murmured.

"Good morning, Beast." I replied.

"Are you-" he stopped, his eyes locked with my own. "You look beautiful."

Something in his voice made my face burn the deepest shade of red imaginable. "I… um… thank you…" I replied.

He offered his arm. "Are you ready to go?"

I put my hand on his elbow. "Yes." I let him lead me down the hallway.

-

**Ah, the slutty pink dress. How I love it.**

**Poor Adara. Any who, this song is _Lucy Meets Mr. Tumness _from The Chronicles of Narnia soundtrack.**


	8. Chapter 8

**The songs for this chapter are **_**I See Dead People in Boats **_**and **_**Davy Jones**_** from the ****Pirates of the Caribbean 3 and 2**** soundtracks, respectively.**

**-**

**Chapter 8**

_I know for me the subject of how to be in a relationship is precious and complicated and challenging. It wouldn't be right to make it look easy – _Helen Hunt

That was how the next few weeks passed. Much to my surprise, the Beast and I grew to be good friends, spending almost every day together. During the few days that he didn't spend time with me, I missed him more than I had ever thought possible.

Emily, Molly and I were growing to be good friends as well, talking whenever I was "alone" in my room. I never wanted for company in the Beast's castle, and I grew to love my life there.

-

One morning, about two months after I came to live in the castle, I fell ill. I stayed in my room for three days, sick, alone, and miserable. Emily and Molly did what they could, but we had to wait for the bad health to pass.

On the fourth day into my illness, I awoke to a scuffle.

"She's ill. You cannot come in." Molly's voice said.

"I want to see her!"

"Master," Emily's voice was angry. "She would not want you to be here. She's weak, and she hasn't exactly been pleasant in the last few days."

"Emily!" Molly snapped.

"Well, it's true." Emily muttered. "She practically ripped my head off when I tried to give her medicine."

"I don't care." I heard a loud banging on the door. "I demand to see her!"

"Master, you must understand-" There was a sound of the Beast throwing himself into the door, and I heard one of the girls fall to the floor. The door creaked open.

"I told you to let me in," the Beast growled. Then he grew silent as he strode to my bedside.

"Master, please. She's ill."

"I can see that." He whispered.

"You'll catch it."

"I don't care." He paused for a moment, and then said, "Adara?"

I pried my eyes open and looked into his worried face. "Hello." I murmured.

He sighed in relief. "Hello."

"They wouldn't… let you in?"

"No. They're a pair of stubborn mules." He muttered.

"I know."

"I resent that." Emily muttered. "We'll see if either of you get a decent cup of coffee in the next week."

I laughed, but my voice broke into a hoarse cough instead.

The Beast hesitated for a moment, and then put his hand over mine. "Is there anything I can do?"

"No, no." I yawned, "The 'stubborn mules' are taking great care of me."

He was silent for a few moments. After a short time, he whispered, "I've missed you. I… I hope you get well soon."

I smiled. "Thank you, Beast."

"Are you sure there's nothing that you need?"

"Only rest." I murmured.

He was silent for a long while. He studied my face, his gaze lingering on my eyes. "When you get well, we'll go into the garden."

"I thought you didn't want to go outside." I murmured.

"I've changed my mind."

"Master," Molly broke in, "She's tired. She needs her rest."

"Yes." Emily agreed. "She'll be well soon."

I began to drift into sleep.

The Beast stood for another moment, murmuring, "Good night, Adara."

I was amazed by how tired I was just after exchanging a few words with him. I began to float into a blissful oblivion, murmuring, "Good night" before completely falling onto darkness.

-

Torin watched as Adara's face fell into the smoothness of sleep, a small smile playing on his lips. After being kept from her for so long, it was a blessing just to see her again.

He didn't quite understand why he felt so strongly for her. After all, he'd only known her for about a month, and at the beginning of that time she'd served only to remind him of the impossibility of breaking the spell. But now…

_This must be what love is,_ he thought. It would at least explain his inability to put her from his mind and he quickening of his pulse whenever he was able to interact with her.

He left Adara's room so she could sleep, quickly commending Emily and Molly on their looking after her. The spark of hope began to grow in his heart, for this could very well be the beginning of the curse's undoing.

-

I awoke two days later and lay in bed, checking over my symptoms. My throat was no longer sore. My temperature was normal. I sat up and was relieved to find that the small action didn't exhaust me.

"Well, well." Emily chattered, "Look who's up and about."

"And good morning to you, too." I replied.

"Well, it's good to see that you're up." Molly said. "We were worried."

"We weren't the only ones." Emily added. "Torin was-"

"Hush!" Molly hissed.

I smiled, comforted by their bickering. I got up and went to the wardrobe before Emily could intervene, murmuring, "Well, I'm better now."

"Perhaps you should take it easy today." Molly warned.

"I will." I promised. I pulled out a plain brown dress and held it against myself, pleased by its simplicity. "Is the Beast awake yet? I'd like to see him now that I'm feeling better."

"I'll tell him you're better and he'll come running." Emily said. She left with the faint sound of shoes clicking against the floor.

I quickly dressed myself and combed my hair strait. After a few moments I put on the rose necklace that the Beast had given me, running a finger over the pendent before finding some brown slippers to match my dress.

-

Torin stood in his study, carefully holding a delicate ring between two massive fingers. It was a simple thing, just a plain silver band with a single diamond, but he knew that it would please the girl it was meant for.

He almost dropped the ring when he heard a knock at the door. Cursing his clumsiness, he placed the ring in his pocket and called, "Come in."

The door opened and Emily's voice muttered, "She's better."

His heart leapt. "She is?"

"Yes." After a pause, she added, "And she wants to see you for some reason-"

Her sarcasm was unheeded as Torin all but flew out the door.

-

I was sitting on my bed after getting ready and letting Molly do my hair. Unlike Emily, she was gentle and did a simpler style, taking my hair and pulling it back into a loose bun. She let a few strands fall to frame my face before meticulously knotting the hair at the nape of my neck.

"There you are." She murmured, "You look lovely."

"Thank you." I replied.

She'd finished just in time. A knock at the door made me jump to my feet and run to open it, putting a hand to my necklace.

Beast stood at the door as though he'd never seen me before. He stared for a long moment at my face and hair as though he was memorizing everything about me before breathing, "Adara… you look beautiful."

"Beast," I didn't bother with a thank you, instead murmuring a heartfelt, "I missed you."

"I missed you, too." Beast replied, offering his arm and leading me down the hall. "I never realized how lonely this castle was."

-

Instead of chattering like mad to make up for lost time, the Beast and I simply enjoyed one another's company. I thought that the silence would have bothered me, but the way Beast kept glancing my way made me feel more comfortable than I'd ever been. We had a light breakfast before taking a long stroll around the castle. I thought that we were stopping by the library, but Beast lead me past it and asked, "Are you ready?"

"Ready…?" I replied, glancing up at him, "For what?"

"To go for a walk in the garden."

I nodded, murmuring, "Oh… I'd love to." I put my hand on his elbow and he led me to the door. I wondered at the sunlight's effect on the flowers. It was as though they were each illuminated from within.

Beast stood uncertainly at the door and I recalled his quite explanation for avoiding the outdoors. _It only reminds me of the freedom that I've lost_.

"Beast, are you alright?" I asked. "Would you rather stay in?"

"No, Adara…" he took a deep breath, "I promised you that we would go outside."

"But Beast, I don't want for you to be-"

"Nonsense." He stepped outside. "I'll be fine."

I followed close behind, gazing intently at the flowers. They seemed to sparkle as I passed them. I looked into the Beast's eyes, a question in my own. He nodded.

"Pick as many as you wish."

I knelt closer to the roses, gently stretching my hand towards the delicate petals. Velvet softness caressed my hand, and I pulled the bloom away. The Beast watched me intently as I got back to my feet, putting his hands in his pockets.

"The roses are beautiful." I murmured.

"I'm glad that they please you." He offered his arm.

I took it, noticing that one of his paws was balled into a fist as he pulled it from his pocket. He led me to a bench off to the side of the path, surrounded by the darkest blooms. I gasped in delight at their colours and Beast smiled at me, watching as I ran a finger over the petals of the rose I had picked. He sat next to me on the bench, murmuring, "Adara, I must ask you something."

I turned to face him, replying, "What is it, Beast?"

He looked down at me, his eyes pleading. Something in his gaze made my heart break for him. He opened his hand, which had still been balled into a fist until that point, and in it there was a ring.

I put a hand to my necklace, wondering what I'd done to warrant another gift. Though the ring was much less intricate than my rose necklace, I thought it was beautiful. I tried to read the expression in his eyes, murmuring, "Is that… for me?"

He nodded, gently slipping the ring onto my finger. "It is."

"Beast… I can't accept another gift from you…" I tried to argue, but I was already admiring the trinket on my finger.

"I love you." Beast whispered.

I faltered in my gazing at the ring, staring at him. "What?"

"I love you," he repeated with a hopeful voice. "I've never felt like this about anyone before, but… I love you."

"Oh, Beast…" I murmured,

My words seemed to give him courage. He took my hands in his, whispering, "Adara, will you marry me?"

I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that, no matter how much I cared for him, I was not in love with Beast. I closed my eyes for a moment, fighting back tears. I couldn't bear to lie to him, but I didn't want to break his heart.

"Beast, I… I don't know what to say."

"Say yes or no." he whispered.

"Beast… I… I care for you… but I don't… love you." I looked away as his eyes hardened. "I'm sorry, but-"

"It's fine." He spoke sharply, dropping my hand and getting to his feet. "I understand. I don't want your pity."

"But, Beast, I-"

"I know. I'm hideous. No woman would ever want to spend their life with a creature like me." He turned away from me.

I stood as well. "Beast, you don't understand."

"I do understand."

"Beast, don't."

He turned back and looked into my eyes for a moment. For a short instant I could see past the fierce exterior he was holding against me and into his soul. I could see the pain that I had caused him. Then the exterior closed in once more and he growled, "You're not here by your own choice; you came to save your father from me. You only suffer my company so that your loved one might live."

"But, Beast." I put a hand on his arm. "I really do care for you. I enjoy your company, and-"

"You only enjoy my company because there's no one else for you to talk to, besides those idiotic servants." He pulled away from me.

"Beast, that's not true." I murmured. "I enjoy your company because you're a good person."

"You're only saying that to comfort me." He spat. "You may care for me, but it's only out of pity."

"But I-"

"Leave me." He hissed.

"Beast, I-"

"I said LEAVE!" His voice rose in a terrifying growl and he bared his teeth. I gasped and stumbled away, watching as he turned away from me. "I don't want you here. You've been dismissed. Now go."

I stared hard at the back of his head. _He doesn't mean what he's saying._ I told myself. Still, tears ran down my face. After a final glance at his hulking form, I ran to my room. Sobs tore through my body as I threw myself on the bed. Molly and Emily swarmed around me in an effort to be comforting, calling my name.

I buried my head in my pillow and sobbed until my head ached, and then I fell asleep.

-

Torin knelt where Adara had just been standing. The rose that she had picked lay there, abandoned in the dirt.

Torin picked up the rose, closing his eyes as he replayed the scene in his mind. He held the rose close to him as ragged sobs tore through his massive body. One thought seared through his mind, burning through all the hope he'd had for this day.

_What have I done?_

-

I awoke the next day, sad and dejected. Instead of getting ready to eat with the Beast, I went and sat quietly at the window.

Around noon Molly and Emily ventured to speak to me.

"Adara," Molly murmured, "Torin didn't mean what he said."

I stared out the windowpane without responding.

"Adara, be reasonable." Emily pleaded. "The master was disappointed. That's the only reason he lost his temper. He loves you, he really does…"

"You can't stay here forever. It would break the poor man's heart."

Tear crept once again to my eyes. I turned away from the window. "He's not a man." I hissed, "He's a beast. A monster."

I was being cruel, and I knew it. Both of them were silent for once.

"Adara, he loves you very much." Emily replied. "He's loved you since the day he met you."

"But… I don't love him." I whispered helplessly.

"He knows that." Molly admitted. "He just hoped that he was mistaken."

I shook my head sorrowfully. "He'll never forgive me…"

I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Don't be so hard on him." Emily whispered. "He's regretful of what he's done."

"It's true." Molly agreed. "He wishes to see you, dear."

"I don't know if I can face him." I admitted.

"Well… you must do what you think is right." Emily sighed. "If you think you must wait… wait."

I nodded and turned back to the window. After a few seconds, though, I could hear Emily and Molly whispering. "He will be heartbroken about this." Molly murmured.

"There is nothing we can do." Emily said. "If she doesn't want to see him-"

"But he loves her." Molly argued, her voice hopeless.

"Molly," Emily's voice hardened. "There is nothing we can do. We cannot force her to love him- this is how it must be."

"I'm going to speak to him, then." Molly muttered angrily. "We should at least console him."

"I'll come with you. She needs to be alone, anyway."

I strained to hear any sound of their presence, but there was nothing. I sighed miserably and put my hand to the glass of the window, watching as the sky outside darkened to match my mood. _Maybe I was never meant to be happy._

-

Molly and Emily found Torin in his room, staring out the window. He turned when he heard them enter.

"Is she coming?" he asked.

Molly hesitated for a moment, and then said, "No, Master."

His face fell. "Oh."

"She'll come out eventually." Emily promised. "She's just a little… confused."

"No." Torin murmured. "Don't try to comfort me. It's my own fault… I deserve this."

"Master, don't say such things. You were sad… what you did is understandable." Emily murmured, uncharacteristically compassionate towards her master.

"You love her." Molly added. "People do strange things when they're in love."

He only shook his head. "Perhaps it's not meant to be…"

"Don't say that!" Emily exclaimed. "She's the one, Torin. I can feel it… she only needs more time."

"She's human, Emily." He whispered. "I'm lucky that she's kind enough to call me her friend. But let's not fool ourselves. You were right. I'm hideous and unlovable… no one could ever fall for me."

Emily sighed.

"Do not loose hope." Molly murmured. "She'll be able to see past your outer appearance."

"How could she?" Torin sighed. "I'm a monster, and nothing more. After what I've done… she'll never see me as anything but a hideous creature."

"Master," Emily murmured, "Do not loose confidence in Adara. She's the one. What other girl would be willing to come here?"

He sighed sadly. "I hope you're right…"

-

I spent that whole day in my room. By the next morning, I was miserable. _Who would have though that the Beast meant so much to me? _I began to dress in a gold-coloured dress. Though it wasn't heavily decorated, it shimmered in the light and it seemed to give my face a lovely glow.

Before Molly and Emily could come into my room and talk to me, I snuck out of my room and began walking down the hall.

I knew what I had to do.

-

**All right, let me begin by admitting how cliché the whole illness scene is… but I was 14 and I couldn't bear to edit it out now. It's too darn cute!**

**You may or may not have noticed that Adara now thinks of Torin as "Beast", not "the Beast". As subtle a change as that is, Adara is beginning to understand that Beast is more than a monster. She doesn't care about him the way he cares about her, but she still cares.**

**And yes, I'm all emo about Adara rejecting Torin, but the sad fact of the matter is that she doesn't love him and she can't very well just say yes. **

**So we just have to give him lots of love to make up for it.**

**_WanderingTeen: (Hugs Torin) YOU'RE SO DARN CUTE!_**

**_Torin: (Mauls WanderingTeen)_**

**Yes, my life is a sad, sad thing and I'm quite aware of it.**

**And, to my dear friend WanderingChild2007: ... I don't think it's the dress from the movie... I actually haven't seen the movie for over a year...**

**... runs to watch movie**


	9. Chapter 9

**I just got the soundtrack to ****300**** and the songs for this chapter are from there. They're **_**Message for the Queen**_** and **_**Goodbye My Love**_

**-**

**Chapter 9**

_There is no remedy to love but to love more – _Thoreau

After spending so much time with Beast, I thought I knew him rather well. I knew that, after the events of the previous day, he'd avoid the places where we'd usually spend our time together. He would stay away from places that I might decide to visit, finding his way back only when he was sure that I'd be nowhere near there. Meanwhile, he'd brood over past events and torture himself with terrible thoughts. And what better place to torture oneself than the place where they were rejected?

I was right. The door to the garden was propped open, and when I peaked outside I could see the Beast standing out with his back to me, gazing over the flowers. I took a deep breath and, before I could change my mind, I walked silently down the path.

"Beast," I murmured, gently placing a hand on his thick arm.

He whirled around. "Adara?"

"I was hoping that I would find you here." I murmured.

He cleared his throat, grasping my hand as it rested on his arm. "I'm so sorry. I never meant-"

"It's alright." I said softly.

"You… forgive me?"

"Of course."

He stood silently for a few moments, unsure of what to say. I gave him a smile to reassure him and murmured, "Shall we go for a walk?"

"If you wish."

He released my hand, but I left it on his arm. He led the way through the garden in an uncomfortable silence, glancing at me from time to time to make sure that I was still beside him, despite the proof of my hand on his arm. I couldn't keep my mind on anything other than how I hurt him…

"Beast," I murmured, pausing and removing my hand from his arm.

He stopped as well, turning back to face me. "Yes?"

"I wish I could undo what was done the other day. We both did things that we regret… and I hurt you, I know." I stopped and looked into his ice blue eyes. "I'm so, so sorry. I wish I could make it up to you."

"No…" his voice was defeated. "It isn't your fault… it was mine. It was wrong of me to assume that just because I love…" he faltered, clearing his throat. "Well, I suppose it doesn't matter."

"It does matter." I took his massive paw, wondering at its largeness in comparison to my tiny hands. "I don't to cause you any pain…"

Beast looked into my eyes for a time, and then hung his head. He closed his eyes, murmuring, "You haven't caused me pain. You have been a rare glimmer of hope in my unfortunate future… but…" he opened his eyes, and a tear ran into his fur, glittering when it caught on his cheek. "It is foolish for me to hope."

"No," I replied, brushing the tear away and cupping his chin, tilting his face so his gaze met mine, "Hope is never foolish. Hope is what keeps people going… it's a magic that can keep you from believing that all is lost."

The Beast granted me a small smile, gently taking my hands in his paws and removing them from his face. "I wish I felt as strongly as you did."

I glanced towards his paws as their fur brushed against my skin, remembering how terrifying their claws had been when I first met him. It was funny how spending so much time with Beast made me forget how frightening he had once been.

"What is it?" Beast asked, noticing my gaze and pulling his paws away. "Do they frighten you?"

"No." I replied. "I was just thinking about how I don't see you as a Beast anymore."

"I do." He sighed, staring hatefully at his paws and muttering, "And I think I always will."

I caught his paw before he could move away, touching the fur on his paws. It was warm and rough against my fingertips, like a bear rug my father had bought when we were still rich. I ran my fingers through the fur, whispering, "You weren't always like this, where you?"

"No." He replied.

"Then what happened to you?" I asked. "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"No." Beast murmured, avoiding my eyes. He pulled his paw from my grasp and turned to go, murmuring, "No… there's nothing you can do for me."

"Beast," I called after him.

"Yes?"

"Please…" I closed the distance between us in three quick steps, murmuring, "I don't want you to avoid me, just because of what's happened in this garden. It would break my heart if we pretended that nothing happened between us and we just drifted apart." I grasped his sleeve, adding, "I don't want you to stay away from me because of this."

He smiled sadly, murmuring, "Adara, I couldn't stay away from you if I tried."

-

Molly and Emily where astonished at how Adara and Torin where getting along. They spent every spare moment together, reading, walking in the garden, or talking. Every day it felt as though the curse was closer and closer to being broken… but, as much as Adara seemed to care for the Beast, love was never brought up again.

They knew that, to break the spell, Adara had to love Torin back. Friendship wasn't enough. He knew that, and they could feel that he had lost all but a faint glimmer of hope, a glimmer that was ignited into a roaring flame whenever Adara was near him.

They hoped and prayed that she would be able to break the spell soon, because they knew that, if Torin did not turn back into a man, he wouldn't be able to live any longer, no matter how much Adara's company meant to him.

-

"She doesn't…" Morna was whispering. "Still, after…"

"I know." Emily snapped.

"What happens if…?"

"I don't know."

"But we'll be trapped."

"I know."

I wondered, for the thousandth time, what they where talking about, but whenever I asked they told me that they couldn't tell me. Besides, it was well after midnight and they'd be furious to see that I was awake.

But I couldn't sleep. Two weeks after Beast's proposal, I had a new problem to contend with. Now, every time I managed to fall asleep I dreamt of my family and woke up sobbing. I missed them more than I would have ever though possible. I wished I could take back every complaint that I had ever had about them. My annoyance at their antics was nothing compared to my sorrow at not seeing them anymore.

I closed my eyes, wishing that I could see them again, if only for a few hours. If I did, I knew I would be able to rest easy again.

-

Torin knew without a doubt that Adara was troubled by something. She still laughed and smiled for him, but he knew the smiles were false and her eyes always held a sad look. Was it something that he had done? Was there something he could do to fix it? When he pressed, she only said that she was tired.

_But I need to help her,_ he thought, resolving to interrogate her until she told him what it was. _I need to make her happy again._

-

A week or two after my dreams had started Beast invited me out for a walk in the garden as the sun was setting. I wore my brown dress with the necklace he had given me, and he wore the same clothes he usually did.

I watched as the colours stretched across the sky, wondering if my family was watching the same sunset and thinking of me. I tried to put them from my mind and enjoy my time with Beast, but I couldn't help but wonder about them. Did they ever think of me anymore?

As the last colour faded from the sky and was replaced by the light from the stars and the moon, the Beast whispered, "Adara, is something the matter?"

"No, of course not." I tried to smile, "I'm just tired."

He shook his head. "Something is the matter."

"Nothing's the matter."

"Adara, you can tell me."

"There's nothing to tell."

"Yes, there is."

"No, there isn't."

"Adara, please don't lie to me." He replied with a sigh, "I can see it in your eyes: something is troubling you."

I shook my head. "There's nothing…" I should have stopped there, but the next words slipped from my mouth. "It's just…"

"What?" Beast asked, "You can tell me anything."

I closed my eyes and tears began to prick at their lids. What could I tell him without hurting him more than I already had?

"Adara." He led me to the bench off to the side, surrounded by the darker red roses. "What's the matter?"

I shook my head, putting my hands to my face. "I can't…"

"You can." He promised, "I can't bear to see you sad like this. I love you, Adara." He wiped the tears away with a gentle paw, carefully keeping his claws from touching my skin, whispering, "I just want you to be happy."

"I…" I looked away from him, cursing both my weakness and his kindness. "I miss my family. I just… I wish I could see them again…"

He glanced from my face to the roses around us and to then towards the castle. With a sigh, he murmured, "You… you would leave me?"

"No. I don't want to leave you." Tears broke free from my eyes and ran down my face. My lips trembled as I sobbed, "I just… I don't know what I want."

"Adara, Adara." Beast whispered. "It's all right." He hesitated for a moment, then put an arm around me, murmuring, "If you'd like… I can show them to you."

I wiped my eyes, pulling close to him. "You can?"

He nodded. "Come with me."

I followed the Beast as he led me into the castle and down the dark hallways, turning left here, turning right there, and silent most of the time. I clung to his paw like a child. Finally we stopped in front of a door that I had only seen once: his study.

The Beast let go of my hand and opened the door, ushering me in. There wasn't much inside: just a mirror, a chair, and a desk covered with an old moth-eaten cloth. The Beast brought me right up to the mirror and said, "Ask to see your family."

I gazed at the mirror. It was an old cast-iron thing with cracked glass, and it was covered with dust. I could see the Beast standing behind me, nodding reassuringly.

"I want to see my family, please." I murmured.

Suddenly, I was looking not into the mirror, but through a window and into a very familiar cottage. My family was sitting around the fire while father read to them. Their faces where gloomy, but other than that, they looked exactly the same… at least, they did at first glance. A gun was hung above the door, and there where a few expensive trinkets in the house that I had never seen before. Aisling had a proper doll, Briac had a pair of spectacles, and Rowena had a pretty necklace around her neck.

"I don't understand." I murmured. "We were poor… how…?"

"I sent a saddlebag of gold home with your father." The Beast answered.

I recalled that fateful day when my father came home months before and handed me a heavy saddlebag. In the week before my leaving, no one had thought to look inside. They must have found it afterwards.

"It's very little, compared to losing you," he murmured, "But I knew you were poor and I never expected anyone but your father to return. I thought a little money might help with his loss."

I smiled sadly, remembering my argument with Father over money. I would never have won if we'd discovered the gold before I left. "My family…" I brushed my hand over each of their faces as a sob built up in my throat. I leaned my head on the mirror, whispering, "I wish I could be there with them…"

The mirror went back to a reflection of myself and I slid to the floor, tears streaming down my face. The Beast knelt beside me, taking my hands again.

"Adara," he whispered, "I didn't mean to make you so unhappy…"

"I know." I murmured, pulling away from him, "But for my whole life, they where all I had…" Sobs tore from my throat, "And I'll never be with them again."

The Beast sighed and seemed to mull over something for a few moments. After a while, he began to speak, his voice quiet.

"I can offer you one thing… though it is far from what you desire." He sighed, his eyes troubled. "You want to go back to your family for the rest of your life. I can't give you that… but… I can send you back for a month. But only for one month, Adara. If you don't return by the close of that month…" the Beast's eyes closed. "I will die."

I stared at him, forgetting to wipe the tears from my face. "W-what?"

"In the morning, you will find a horse ready for you. Take him, and ride to your family. He'll get you there in a day's ride." Beast replied, ignoring my question. He helped me up, continuing, "Spend a month with them, but please, not a day more. Then, you must come back."

"But… you'll die?" I repeated.

His eyes moistened and he gave me a sad smile. His next words where barely more than a hoarse whisper. "I love you, Adara. I cannot live without you."

"Oh, Beast." The most tenderness that I'd ever shown the Beast was a touch on the face. Now, for the first time, I threw my arms around him and hugged him tight. I closed my eyes and let my head rest on his chest, letting his gentle presence calmed me. "Thank you so, so much. I will come back in a month, I promise…"

The Beast tensed in my embrace for a moment, then allowed himself to put his arms around me, holding me just as tight. He leaned forward to rest his head on my own, curling protectively around me.

I loosened my grip on him slightly and he drew away, embarrassed by his show of emotion. He pulled back, clearing his throat and refusing to let me look into his eyes.

"Go now," he murmured, "You need your sleep. I will say goodbye to you in the morning… but promise me, Adara, that you will return in a month."

"I swear." I whispered.

He nodded, and then gestured shakily to the door. "You must leave me now."

I nodded and left. The Beast watched me leave the room, and then closed the door behind me. I thought I heard a sob from behind the door, but I didn't pay much attention. I was too exited: after all, I was going home to see my family.

-

**In my mind, this is where Torin truly falls in love with Adara. Of course he was in love before, but this is where he's totally, hopelessly obsessed: when he's able to let her go no matter what the cost.**

**I just want to clear something up. I realised that, earlier in the story, I said that Torin can't die. What that means is that he can't die by his own hand and he can't die of natural causes (like, you know, getting old). But love is strong enough to kill, and that's another way that love affects the curse. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Songs for this chapter are from ****300**** again because I love it so. **_**What Must a King Do, Submission**_** and **_**No Sleep Tonight.**_

_**-**_

**Chapter 10**

_They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel – _Carl W. Beuchner

I awoke the next morning, quickly dressing myself in a plain grey dress and black cloak and fastening the beautiful rose necklace that Beast had given me around my neck, and sat at my desk, collecting a pen and sheet of paper.

I had been selfish the night before and I knew it. The Beast had made a huge sacrifice for me, and he deserved more than just a hug from the night before.

_My Dear Beast, _I wrote.

_There aren't enough words to explain what I feel in my heart. I could thank you until my dying breath, but it would never be enough. _

_I understand the sacrifice that you're making on my behalf. I understand that you don't have to send me home, but that you want to so I can be happy, even if the price for that happiness is your life._

_I want you to know that I will never betray you. I will be back once my month is up, and from them on I will be content to stay with you. You've shown me how much I mean to you, and now it's my turn to return the favour. I promise that, once this month is over, I will spend the rest of my life with you._

I was about to end the letter with "_Your Friend, Adara_", but something made me change my mind. A new ending rose in my thoughts and I blushed, wondering what would make me want to write such a thing. With a shrug, I wrote the closing.

_With all my love, _

_Adara._

I folded the letter and placed it in an envelope, writing _Beast_ on the front in my best calligraphy. Then I gathered my things and, leaving the letter on my desk and the door to my room open, went outside.

-

Beast met me in the stable, wearing an outfit that looked suspiciously identical to the one from the night before, though while the clothes he was wearing the night before had been perfectly clean and unwrinkled, these where wrinkled as though he had slept in them. However, his eyes proved that he'd had very little sleep. They were defeated as he showed me my horse: a grey creature whose shoulder reached Beast's.

"This is Thunder." Beast murmured, handing me the reins, "The best horse that I have. He will see you home… and, if you choose, he will bring you back."

"Beast," I breathed, "I swear to you that I will come back."

"Perhaps you think that now," he replied sadly, placing a gentle paw on my shoulder, "But let's not pretend that things are anything but what they are. We may be friends, but blood is thicker than water and your family will cause you to forget all but one simple fact: I am just a Beast."

"If you're so sure that I'm not coming back, why are you letting me go?" I asked.

"Because," he murmured, "I want you to be happy."

"But death is far too high a price for happiness." I argued. "I should stay."

"No." Beast sighed, murmuring, "If I asked you to stay now, I'd never let you go again and you'd grow to despise me for keeping you away from your family. I… I'd much rather die, knowing that I've given you freedom than live knowing that I've kept you from it."

Tears filled my eyes. I wanted to see my family more than anything, but I knew that I'd miss Beast just as badly once I left him. I closed the distance between us in two steps and wrapped my arms around him, whispering, "I promise you that I'll come back. I won't betray you."

Beast choked back a gasp, returning my embrace with twice the passion. "Adara, please." He managed to mumble, his claws digging into my clothing, "Don't make this any harder than it has to be."

I sighed and wiped the tears from my eyes, pulling back from him and mounting the horse in one smooth motion. Beast stumbled away, but not quick enough for me to see the tears in his eyes. He opened the stable door and the castle gates swung open as he whispered, "Go."

"I'll be back in a month." I promised.

He gave a tiny nod and granted me a small smile, mouthing "Goodbye."

I nodded and returned the smile as Thunder began to gallop. Before I even had a chance to look back, the Beast was out of sight.

-

Molly and Emily joined their master at his side, watching the dust settle where Thunder's hoofs had fallen.

"Why?" Emily asked. "Why would you let our only chance at freedom leave?"

"We've all worked so hard." Molly whispered.

"She's coming back." Torin whispered, still numb from the embrace he'd shared with the girl he sent away.

"You think she'll come back to this… this _prison?_" Emily spat, "I think not."

"Even so," he murmured, "I had to let her go."

"Why?" Molly asked.

"Because I love her," he answered, "And she needs to be happy."

-

When I reached my old home around noon, I was too excited to be quiet. Even though it was late in the night, I knocked loudly on the door. Thunder stood a few feet from me, showing no signs that he was planning to leave. In fact, he looked so content that I doubted that I would have to lock him up.

After a while, Briac came to the door. He was wearing his new glasses, and I could tell that he didn't recognize me right away. He rubbed his eyes under the glass and stared for a moment, squinting. I grinned as he tore off his glasses and widened his eyes, finally recognizing me.

"Adara?" he whispered.

I threw my arms around him. "I missed you so much."

Quickly, he put his glasses back in and looked into my face. "How did you escape?" he squeezed me tightly. "Never mind, as long as you're home, that's all that matters…"

I kissed his cheek and drew back. "You look so handsome with glasses!"

Briac grinned. "Rowena says I look like a wet blanket."

I giggled. "I think you look very dignified."

"You and about ten other village girls." He rolled his eyes. "They're always bothering me when I go into town…"

I pulled my hair loose from the bun it had been in. "So… may I come in?"

"Oh, of course!" He pushed me into the house, and then went outside. "I'll tie your horse up in the stable. You just go in the kitchen and find something to eat. I'm sure you're starving."

Before I could argue, I was interrupting by another familiar voice. Rowena was coming down the stairs in her nightgown, obviously to investigate the noise. She stared at me for a moment. "Adara?"

I grinned. "You where expecting someone else?"

She flew to my side and threw her arms around me, exclaiming, "I'm so sorry for being such a nasty wench to you. I had no idea how hard it is to have to take care of everyone. Please, please forgive me-"

"Rowena, it's all right!" I pulled back, startled at her reaction to seeing me again. "We're sisters." I reminded her, "Fighting is what we do."

She let out a quiet giggle. "So you forgive me?"

I hugged her tightly. "Of course."

She pulled back and looked over me, grinning. "You look so pretty…"

I rolled my eyes. "Liar."

"No! You really do look nice. The brown dress suits you because its so, you know, plain." Rowena remarked, more out of habit than spite. "I'm so glad you're back. Now we can both take care of everyone, and-"

I cleared my throat. "I'm… um… not here to stay."

She stared at me. "What?"

"Call Aisling and Father down, and we'll wait until Briac comes in." I murmured, touching the rose necklace that the Beast had given me. "I don't want to talk about it more than once."

She winced. "You sound like father did that night..."

"I know."

-

A few hours later, Torin found his way into Adara's room. He allowed himself to sit on the bed, glancing into the wardrobe and remembering each dress and the way Adara had worn it.

After a few moments, he went over to the wardrobe and pulled out the brown dress, holding it close to him and remembering what had happened while Adara wore this dress. He had proposed to her, and she had asked to go home to her family. Torin noted that the dress still had a faint trace of her scent on it and inhaled deeply, finally grateful for his sharpened sense of smell.

_Terrible things always happen when she wears this dress._ Torin thought, staring down at the brown fabric. _I always make mistakes… I always push her away…_

_And this time, she's never coming back._

A carnal rage engulfed Torin, reminding him that he was nothing but a Beast, taunting him with reminders that, without Adara's love, he would never be human again. He was a monster, and in anger he began tearing the dress to shreds.

"She'll never love me!" he roared, throwing the dress to the ground and setting about destroying everything else in the room. Anything that could be linked to Adara was torn apart. He destroyed the wardrobe, the bed, and the desk, tearing apart anything in sight…

By the time the letter for him had registered in his mind, he had torn it apart. In a panic he tried to stop, catching the shreds of paper in his clumsy paws and trying to read the words. Only one part was readable, _My Dear Beast,_ while the rest was far too mutilated. Fraying shreds of paper fell from his paws and to the ground, their words skewed and the message lost.

Torin stumbled back, letting himself fall onto the ruins of his bed. The three words stared up at him from the torn paper, mocking him with their kindness. He held the paper delicately, recalling the embrace he'd shared with his beloved not twenty-four hours earlier.

"Adara," he breathed, "My dear, sweet Adara."

-

The tale I told my family, the story of my time with the Beast, was a watered-down version of what had really happened. The details where left out, so they didn't know about the time he had asked me to marry him, they didn't know about the time he gave me the library or the necklace, and they didn't know about the special friendship that Beast and I had shared. They saw him as a monster, but I saw him as a misunderstood creature, and as a true friend.

When I told them that I could only stay for a month, they argued with me, demanding my reasons for it. When I told them that the Beast would die if I didn't go back, they where furious.

"So _stay here_." Briac murmured. "If he dies, so much the better. We'll get his castle and all his riches."

"But what if it's a trick?" Rowena suggested. "Maybe he'll come here and kill us. Or, if we go there, he'll kill us for trespassing."

"I doubt that monster would leave his home." Father muttered. "You said he didn't like leaving the castle, didn't you?"

"Well… he left with me a few times…" I murmured, clutching my rose necklace.

"But he'd never leave the castle grounds."

"Then Adara should stay here." Briac said. "That way, she'll stay safe."

"But what if the monster comes here?" Aisling piped up.

"We'll kill him." Father growled.

"No!" I shouted. "You can't kill him!"

"And why not?" Father asked.

"Because… I… he… he isn't as bad as you all think." I tried to set my thoughts in order so I could explain my feelings better. "He's my… my friend."

I could feel them all staring at me, and their next words cut me deeper than I ever thought possible.

"How could you ever be friends with that _thing_?"

"Why would you do stand up for such a _hideous creature_?"

"Have you lost your _mind_?"

Only Aisling remained quiet, watching me as I struggled for words.

"It's just that I know him…" I murmured, "He's really… he's very kind to me…"

"How can you say that he's _kind_?" Rowena demanded.

"That _ogre_ stole you away from us." Father growled.

"I'm going to kill him." Briac announced, standing.

"No!" I shouted, grabbing for his arm. "You can't hurt him!"

"Everyone quiet." Father said. Everyone silenced and, after a moment, he said, "Obviously, the monster has Adara under some sort of spell."

"I'm not under a spell!" I stood, stepping away from my family. "I-"

"What are we going to do to protect her?" Rowena asked.

"We'll keep her under close watch at all times." Father said, "And we'll be sure that she's safe."

"But I don't need to be-"

"In a month, once the creature is dead," Father finished, "The spell will be broken and Adara will see reason."

"No. You don't understand. The Beast is my friend. He's kind to me. He knew that I missed you and he sent me home to see you, even though it could mean his death. He _trusts_ me." I felt wetness rolling down my cheeks, but I didn't realize that they were tears until I tasted salt on my lips. I fell to my knees before my father, murmuring, "Please, don't make me kill him. I don't want him to suffer."

"Adara, don't you see? You're only under a spell. That monster isn't your friend. He's a beast, and that's that." Father sighed, shaking his head. He looked at Briac and whispered, "Lock her in her room."

And, despite my pleas and my threats, I was locked in the windowless attic with Briac and Father taking turns standing in front of my room throughout the night. I heard them tell Rowena to go and get chains in the morning and I knew they where going to chain me up until my month was over. Then, it would bee too late: the Beast would be dead, and it would be all my fault.

-

**This chapter makes me all emo inside. Poor angsty Torin and Adara. I love them so!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Still from ****300****, the songs are **_**Cursed By Beauty**_** and **_**What Must a King Do**_

**-**

**Chapter 11**

_Looking back I have this to regret: all the times I have loved and did not say so – _David Grayson

For the rest of the month I was chained to the wall of my room. Briac or Rowena brought food to me three times a day, though I rarely ate it. Sometimes Father would come and try to speak to me, but I refused even to look at him.

Aisling came by a few times with a storybook, asking me to read to her. I did once, but the tale of a prince rescuing his beautiful princess from a dungeon cell made me think too much about how my own family was locking me away.

I marked off my thirty days as they passed by scratching lines on the wall. My alarm grew as I accumulated ten lines, then fifteen, and then twenty. When I reached twenty five marks, I began to loose all hope.

_I'll never see my Beast again._

_-_

Twenty-seven days had passed since Adara left the castle, and Emily and Molly where both feeling the pain of the young woman's leaving. Both were depressed and couldn't even find the strength to carry on their regular duties. Slowly but surely, the castle fell back into the dusty, unkempt ruin if has seen before Adara's arrival. And it didn't help that, as though in anger at her leaving, the castle rearranged itself about a week after Adara left.

Torin was suffering the worst. Adara's absence took over him like a cancer. He weakened daily, at first only in little ways, like not being able to remember the new arrangement of the castle, but with only three days left, he was so weak that he had to rest when walking around the castle. Even with Emily and Molly's help, he was hard pressed to get to the study, library, dining room, or his room. He spent all his time in Adara's room, sitting amongst the ruins of her furniture and clothing. His meals had to be brought to him, though he rarely ate anymore.

Without Adara there to give him the hope he so desperately needed, Torin's optimism fell into ruins. He knew without a doubt that Adara would never come back for him, no matter her promises, and he would remain a beast forever. Strangely, instead of making him angry with her, this notion only served to made Torin love her more. He also knew that he was dying of love and hopelessness, and he'd be lucky even to last the month he'd promised. He didn't tell the servants, because it would only serve to worry Molly and Emily wouldn't care.

"Adara has forgotten me," he murmured to himself, glancing for the thousandth time at the slip of paper he kept with him all times, reading _My Dear Beast_ again with a hopeless heart. "And soon I will die alone, and as a Beast."

_-_

"Adara?" Aisling's voice reached me deep within my sleep. I opened my eyes to find her standing in front of me in her nightgown.

"Hi." I whispered. She came and sat on my lap, pulling my arms around her. The chains on my wrists had just enough slack for me to do this. After that, they tightened painfully.

"Tell me a story." Aisling murmured.

"I can't." I replied.

"Why?"

I sighed, holding her close. "I'm too sad."

"Why are you sad?" she asked.

I closed my eyes, willing my tears to stay back. "I don't think you'd understand, little one."

She pulled at my sleeve. "Please tell me?"

_What am I supposed to say?_ I wondered. _My Beast is going to die tomorrow. I can't tell her that…_I thought for a few moments. As I did, I realized that maybe Aisling _could_ understand what was making me miserable, if only she could hear it the right way…

"I think I do have a story for you." I murmured.

"What's it called?" she asked.

"It's called 'Beauty… and the Beast'."

Aisling nodded and rested her head on my shoulder. "And what's it about?"

"It's about… a girl, finding out that it's what's inside that counts, not someone's outer beauty." I murmured. She waited for me to continue, and I began my story. "Once upon a time… there was a girl named Beauty. She was a normal looking girl, no different from you or me… but, one day, her normal life was turned into a grand adventure."

"Why was her name Beauty if she wasn't beautiful?" Aisling asked.

I smiled half-heartedly. "A cruel twist of fate."

Aisling nodded as though this made perfect sense to her. I wondered if she knew what my name meant. "What happened to her?"

"She happened to be out on a walk when she came across a big, beautiful castle." I murmured, "When she went inside, she found that there where wonderful things inside. There where invisible servants to serve her every whim, beautiful dresses fit for a queen, and a huge library, filled with all kinds of books. Everything there was perfect, except for one thing."

"What was that?" Aisling asked.

I fought to control my voice as I whispered, "A Beast."

"Like the bad monster that kidnapped you?" she asked.

"No, Aisling," I murmured, chastising her lightly, "He wasn't bad… and he wasn't a monster. He was misunderstood. He was a Beast, plain and simple. On the outside, he was ugly, but on the inside… he had a heart of gold."

"Was he nice to Beauty?"

"He was." I murmured. "He took care of her and gave her everything she wanted. All he wanted was for her to be happy, no matter what it cost him. And before the Beast knew it, he was in love with Beauty."

"What did she say about that?" Aisling murmured.

"She didn't know what to say at first. Beauty thought of the Beast only as a friend up until that point, and even for a time after that. But then she went home, and she had to face a month without her dear Beast by her side."

Aisling stared at me expectantly. "What happened then?"

Suddenly, I thought back to the letter I'd written to Beast. Everything seemed to fall into place then, and I realized something. I was in love with the Beast.

Despite the books I'd read and the music I'd heard on the subject, I'd never been taught exactly how to pinpoint the actual feeling of love. I supposed it would be something that happened the moment you set eyes on a person, some sort of reaction between the both of you that told you, _you love him_.

But what I felt for Beast was nothing like that. It was something that had to grow, something that needed to be nurtured by actions and words… and the final piece had been the night he'd let me go. The letter proved it: what I'd written was nothing short of flowery overstatement, now that I looked back at it. The ranting of a girl who had fallen in love without realizing it.

I smiled sadly, wondering if Beast would ever gather as much from actually reading the thing.

"Well?" Aisling asked, snapping my back into the present.

"Beauty realized how much she really cared for the Beast, and how, even though he was ugly, she loved him more than anything else in the world." I murmured, fighting to keep tears from my eyes. I reached for the necklace that Beast had given me but the chains prevented me from touching it. "At that moment, Beauty stormed out of her home and back to the Beast's castle. When she found him, she told him how she loved him."

"And then what happened?"

"And then, even though he was a Beast and she was just a normal girl, the two lived happily ever after." I let my gaze fall on the door before me, the door that kept me from my Beast, "Because they knew that love is all that really matters."

Aisling yawned and clung to me. "Do you want to go back to your Beast?"

"Yes," I murmured, "I do, with all my heart."

Aisling nodded, then murmured, "Do you want me to help you?"

I took a sharp breath. "Will you?"

She smiled in that childish way that she had and nodded. "Briac is asleep. I know where they keep the key to the chains."

"Oh, sweetie, can you bring me that key?" I asked breathlessly.

She nodded, and before another word could be said she was out the door. I looked after her, wondering if I'd be able to make it in time. _Oh, Beast,_ I thought, _Please hold on._

-

Emily sighed, murmuring, "Only twelve more hours until her month is up." Both she and Molly where standing at Torin's side. He was sitting on the chair in Adara's bedroom since it was least damaged thing in the room, watching out the window as the dark sky blackened.

"I know." Torin whispered, his voice hoarse. He glanced at the tattered slip of paper in his palm and read it for the thousandth time before clutching it tightly in his fist and holding it close to is chest, only to smooth it carefully and read it again a moment later.

"Is there anything you need, Torin?" Molly whispered.

"Yes…" he dragged himself to his feet, ignoring the use of his birth name. "I need to go… to the study."

"Torin, you're too weak." Molly cautioned.

"What do you need from the study?" Emily asked, her voice unnaturally kind. "I'll bring it here."

"You can't." he sighed, steadying himself with the help of the wall, "I need to use the mirror."

"Why?" Emily asked.

"Because," Beast murmured, putting his paw to his chest and holding the slip of paper against the fabric of his shirt as though it would help his weakened heart to beat, "I want to see her… one last time."

-

Finally, after an eternity, Aisling came back to me, the key dangling from her hand. She dropped it into my grasp and I struggled to unlock my manacles.

"Thank you so, so much." I whispered, lowering the shackles to the floor. I rubbed my raw wrists, wincing at the sting from the "fresh" air.

"Are you going to your Beast now?" Aisling asked.

I nodded. "I have to, before it's too late."

"Can I come?" she murmured.

I stared at her. "Why would you want to come?"

"I want to meet him." Aisling whispered. "Everyone says that he's scary… but if he loves you, and you love him, that means he's nice… doesn't it?"

Tears stung my eyes, but I smiled through them. "That's exactly what it means." I murmured, picking her up. "Come on, let's go."

-

Aisling and I had to be very, very quiet as we passed by the sleeping forms of my father and Briac. It was late, which was both a blessing and a curse: a blessing because that meant that everyone was too deep in their sleep to hear Aisling and I leave the house, and a curse because it meant that I had only a few hours to go back and save Beast.

I was afraid that they'd do something to Thunder, knowing that he was the only horse that could get me there on time. But, thankfully, they had thought that the chains and the guard at the door would be enough to keep me. I took Thunder from his place next to Lightening and put the saddle on him. Then I put Aisling in front of me and we began to ride.

Unbeknownst to Aisling and Adara, Briac had woken up and followed them to the stable, hidden under the cover of the night. Once they where out of sight, he mounted Lightening and followed them with the gun that his father had mounted over the door earlier that year for protection.

_No one,_ he decided, _is going to hurt my sisters._

-

The hours dragged on like years as I neared the castle. A short time after we left the house, Aisling fell asleep in my arms, dreaming of something simple and sweet. I was too panicked to even think of sleeping, though, and after a while it began to rain, wetting everything around us. Mud splattered my clothing, and I used my cloak to keep Aisling dry. It was a blessing when I finally reached the castle.

"Aisling," I whispered, taking her into my arms as I slid off the horse, "We're here."

Aisling's eyes widened as she took in the surroundings: the beautiful castle, the roses, and the large door leading to where the Beast, a creature both mysterious and frightening in her young eyes, stood waiting.

I took her hand and led her towards the castle. Neither of us where decent to be going into a castle, I knew. Aisling was dressed in a simple nightgown, and I was wearing the same dress that I had since the beginning of the month. My hair was ratty and tangled, and I was wet and covered with slimy mud. But I knew Beast wouldn't mind, and clothes could be changed and hair could be brushed.

"Come on." I murmured, "Beast is waiting."

-

**I've always thought that children know more than adults do. When we grow up, we loose a simple way of thinking that could solve a lot of problems. **

**... That and we're sucked into a weird new world of skewed values and bad movies.**


	12. Chapter 12

**The song for this chapter is **_**At Wits End**_** from the ****Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End**** soundtrack. Enjoy!**

**-**

**Chapter 12**

_Love is everything its cracked up to be. It really is worth fighting for, being brave for, risking everything for. And the trouble is, if you don't risk anything, you risk even more – _Erica Jong

It seemed like forever before Torin reached his study. When he finally did, he was so weak that both Emily and Molly had to support him until he dropped into his chair, his fur slick with perspiration. His breath came in short gasps as he whispered, "What time is it?"

"After midnight." Molly whispered.

"Do you have enough energy to use the mirror?" Emily asked, her voice heavy with concern. "You should rest."

"In a moment…" he murmured.

Emily and Molly waited for him to ask for their help, watching the floor to give him some privacy. Then, before they could do anything to stop him, their Master stood and tried to walk to the mirror. He almost succeeded when a pain shot through his chest and, howling in agony, Torin slumped to the ground and blacked out. Emily and Molly buzzed around their master in an attempt to wake him up.

-

"This isn't right." I whispered to Aisling, who was now being carried on my hip because she was so tired. "Everything's been rearranged…" we'd already found the dining room, the library, and a few rooms I'd never been in. My own room was now in the very middle of the castle, and one glance inside told me that, though the Beast wasn't in there at the moment, he had been there earlier. I prayed that he had found my letter.

"This is all wrong." I murmured. "Beast should be somewhere around here… unless…"

"What?" Aisling yawned.

"He could be de-" I cut myself off with a terrified gasp at my own words. "I promised I'd be back in a month… but I might be too late…"

"Where's his favourite place?" she asked.

"I don't know… I don't think he has one…" I thought for a moment, "Except for the study."

"Let's go there."

"He told me never to go in there." I murmured. "The only time he let me go in was when he was with me…"

Even so, I navigated through the maze of halls until I reached a hall I recognized. Sure enough, at the end I saw the forbidden door. I slid Aisling to the floor, hesitating before putting my hand on the handle.

"What's wrong?" Aisling asked.

"It's just… I don't know if I should go in…"

-

As Molly and Emily tried to bring their master back to consciousness, Emily heard a familiar voice in the hallway.

"I don't know if I should go in…" It said.

"Is that…?" Molly asked.

"It's Adara!" Emily whispered. With that, she opened the door.

-

Briac had a bit of trouble with Lightening at first. But soon he found that the white horse could go just as fast as Adara's, perhaps even faster if you kicked it in the right spot.

Once Briac has reached the Beast's castle, he watched as Aisling and Adara went inside. He jumped from Lightning's back and, readying his gun, he made his way into the castle. He followed their footsteps until they reached a door and Adara paused. After a moment, the door widened and she went in, taking Aisling with her.

Briac stood outside the door, listening. The moment danger showed itself, he was going to kill the monster and break his spell over his sister. _Because,_ he thought, _that's what brothers do._ After a moment, Aisling left alone, her hand in the air as though it where clutching something, but he didn't bother her: it was the Beast he was after.

-

I stepped back when the study door flew open and invisible arms flew around me, hugging me tight. After a moment, I realized who it was and I hugged back, muttering, "Hi, Emily."

"I thought you'd never come back." She howled.

"Who said that?" Aisling asked.

"Oh, she brought a little girl!" Molly's voice cut in. "She's precious!"

"Molly, Emily, this is my sister Aisling." I took Aisling's hand, grinning as I lead the wondering child towards the invisibly figures. "Aisling, these are Emily and Molly, my invisible… friends."

Aisling's eyes grew wide and she whispered, "Are they ghosts?"

Emily muttered, "No, we're just conveniently invisible for no reason whatsoever."

I rolled my eyes, trying to glance inside the room. It was too dark for me to see clearly. "Is the Beast in here?"

Molly's voice snapped into soberness. "He is," she murmured, "And he's not doing well." She lead me into the room and I gasped. Beast was lying on the ground, unmoving

"Oh, god. This is all my fault…" I was sure that I'd come to late and I passed Aisling's hand to Molly, falling beside Beast and putting my hand on his chest. I could have sobbed for releif when I felt a faint heartbeat.

"What's that?" Aisling murmured, pointing at the Beast.

"That's our master, the Beast." Emily whispered.

"He's the one who took my sister?" Aisling asked.

"Listen, little one, why don't I take you to the kitchen for some hot coco?" Molly asked, "And then you can have a nap in Adara's room… or… whatever's left of it."

"Okay."

Molly and Aisling left the room. Candles flickered on either by their own accord or Emily's practised hand. After a few moments, Emily leaned over me and murmured, "I'll get him a blanket, and some water… and some coffee for you."

"Thank you." I murmured.

She left me, and a sense of loneliness overtook the room. Only the Beast's breathing kept me company.

After a moment, I leaned closer to him and whispered, "Beast?"

There was no answer, but I could have sworn that the Beast's breathing became steadier. I waited for a few moments, but nothing happened.

"Beast," I said again, "I'm sorry I took so long… I meant to keep my promise." I put a hand on his forehead, "My family locked me away so I couldn't come back. Aisling… my little sister… helped me escape. She's out with Molly now, getting some coco."

There was still no response. Now I was sure that the Beast's breathing was perfectly steady. I wondered it the change was in my mind, or if he was actually getting better just because I was with him. To be sure, I kept speaking.

"Emily left to get you a blanket, and some water." I murmured, "But I'm going to stay with you until you're feeling better."

His breathing was normal now. I leaned closer to him, so close that my lips were almost touching his ear as I murmured, "Beast?"

He didn't wake up as I had hoped, but some tenseness fell away from his face. I smiled to myself, glad to finally have a positive effect on him. His paws, which had been balled up into fists until that point, fell open and a slip of paper fell from one of them, damp with perspiration. I smoothed it out and read the three words that had all but been worn away from constant touching and smoothing: _My Dear Beast._

"I suppose you found my letter, then." I murmured, placing the scrap back in his hand. "I was hoping that the letter would give you the strength to last a little longer, but…"

As I began to withdraw my hand from the Beast's paw, his fingers curled slowly around my own. The rough pads of skin brushed against my own soft skin and I gasped, choking back a cry of surprise. The simple fact that he had moved seemed to be a miracle. Breathlessly, I kept talking in an effort to bring him back to consciousness.

"Beast… I missed you so much. Going back to my family was a mistake. They've all changed. I missed my memory of them, but that's gone now. Only little Aisling is the same. The rest of them don't understand me anymore…" I put my other hand on top of his, helping his tired hand hang onto mine and praying that he would forgive me for being late. "I'm so glad I'm home now."

I watched in enchantment as, slowly but surely, the Beast opened his mouth and took a deep breath. After a moment, he opened his eyes and slowly turned to look at me. His eyes focused on mine and my heart leapt out of my chest.

"A… Adara?" He breathed.

Relief washed over me with a numbing calm. I wanted to crush him in a tight hug, but I was afraid of hurting him. Instead I leaned over his face, stroking his brow. "I'm here."

He offered a weak smile. "I thought… I was dreaming…"

"No," I took his hand in mine, giving it a gentle squeeze, "I'm here. And I'm never going back."

He sighed and closed his eyes. "You're staying?"

"Forever." I murmured. "Just as I promised in my letter."

"Your letter…" he closed his other hand, the one that still had the scrap of paper in it. "Forgive me, but… I never read it."

"Then why do you have the opening in your hand?" I asked.

"I'm afraid… I lost my temper." He released my hand and began to stand. I held his shoulder just in case he needed extra support, standing with him. "I went into your room… and I tore everything apart. I didn't realize that you had written to me until the letter was in shreds…" he looked at the crumpled scrap in his hand. "This is all I had."

"'_My Dear Beast_," I murmured.

"It sounds even better when you say it out loud." He replied with an embarrassed smile.

I blushed, asking, "Shall I tell you the rest of the letter?"

"Please." He whispered.

I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to recall the night I'd written out my letter. I hadn't known it at the time, but that final act of kindness had ensured that I'd fall in love with the Beast. It was strange that being away from him was what made me realize it.

But then, I had ended the letter: _with all my love._

I blushed again, wondering if this was really the time and place to spill my heart. I gave myself a mental kick. After all, Beast had spilled his heart to me without knowing if I loved him or not. At least I had the assurance that he was in love with me.

"_My Dear Beast_," I murmured softly, placing my hand on his chest and hoping that my letter didn't seem too cliché. "_There aren't enough words to explain what I feel in my heart. I could thank you until my dying breath, but it would never be enough."_

_-_

Briac stood in the shadow of the doorway, watching his sister interact with the monster. They had remained on the floor for some time, but now both of them were standing. Adara had her hand on the monster's chest as she murmured softly, fully capturing the Beast's attention.

"_I understand the sacrifice that you're making on my behalf. I understand that you don't have to send me home, but that you want to so I can be happy, even if the price for that happiness is your life."_

The monster had eyes only for Adara, watching her intently as her lips moved. He wouldn't notice Briac's subtle movements as he brought the gun to eyelevel, grateful for his new glasses. They would ensure that he wouldn't miss.

-

Torin closed his eyes and let Adara's words wash over him. Something in her voice made him hopeful. Something in the way she was drawing closer to him made him wonder exactly what this letter meant…

"_I want you to know that I will never betray you. I will be back once my month is up, and from them on I will be content to stay with you. You've shown me how much I mean to you, and now it's my turn to return the favour."_

Torin leaned into her as well, breathlessly waiting for the conclusion of Adara's letter and, perhaps, the ending that he'd been praying for since the moment the curse had been placed upon him.

-

Without noticing, I began to draw closer to Beast's face. My lips were scarcely three inches from his face as I whispered;_ "I promise that, once this month is over, I will spend the rest of my life with you."_

The scrap of the original letter fell to the ground. The Beast simply stared into my eyes, his voice a hoarse whisper as he murmured, "Go on."

I closed my eyes and let an inner pull draw me towards the Beast. The same pull seemed to be working on him as I whispered, "_With all my love_-"

"Adara! Move!"

I pulled away from the Beast in time to see Briac standing at the door, his gun aimed directly at the Beast. Beast's attention snapped to my brother as well, and he murmured, "Adara? Who is this?"

Before I could react, Briac screamed, "This is for Adara!" and pulled the trigger.

-

**Damn little brothers.**

**Okay, in all seriousness, it's literally breaking my heart to end this chapter here. It's just like, WHAT THE HELL YOU STUPID KID! SHE LOVES HIM, KAY? BUGGER OFF!**

**Now, you're all probably wondering it Torin dies or not… you may recall that he can't kill himself or die by natural causes… but there's nothing self-inflicted or natural about a be-spectacled child with a gun…**

**Personally, I'm all sad an empty inside now. No joke.**


	13. Chapter 13

**_OKAY! I KNOW THAT YOU AREN'T SUPPOSED TO UPDATE A FIC MORE THAN ONCE A DAY, IF THAT, AND I THINK I'VE DONE A VERY GOOD JOB OF SPACING OUT MY UPDATES THUS FAR. BUT I AM FAR TOO SAD, BORED AND ANGSTY NOT TO ADD THIS CHAPTER. I USUALLY LIKE LEAVING YOU GUYS HANGING WITH SOME AWESOME SUSPENSE, BUT TODAY..._**

**_WELL, I DUNNO. JUST READ._**

**_-_**

**Rather than listening to a soundtrack, I listened to some of my weirdo music (which includes things that I myself have written). So the song for this chapter is **_**Beauty and the Beast**_** by ****Nightwish****. The only version I have is the live version, but the original is easy to find on YouTube and it's much better.**

**It's about bloody time that song made an appearance, too!**

**I also was listening to a song that I wrote for this story (I do that sometimes because I'm weird). If you're interested in hearing it, PM me and I'll email it to you.**

**-**

**Chapter 13**

_A dying man needs to die, as a sleepy man needs to sleep, and there comes a time when it is wrong, as well as useless, to resist – _Steward Aslope

Aisling was about to take a sip of her coco when she heard someone scream her big sister's name. The sound was faint, but it brought her to attention. Then, she heard Adara's voice crying out in pain. Without saying anything to the invisible person watching over her, she slid off of her chair and ran to the place that she had last seen her sister.

"Aisling!" Molly chased after her, "Where are you going!"

"Adara's in trouble!" Aisling cried, "I need to help her."

-

Emily heard the din from the other end of the castle and sighed, balancing blankets atop a pillow on her arm before going back to the kitchen to make some coffee. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she could guess that it had something to do with Torin waking up and seeing Adara.

It was strange how much her feelings about her master had changed. She still thought he was a little spoiled… but that was nothing compared to the pure, burning hatred that she'd felt for him earlier. It was as though, with Adara around, Emily was able to see the better side of Torin.

_And who knows,_ Emily thought, _Adara may very well be the one to break the spell._

-

It was like someone was slowing time down. I saw the heavy lead bullet rip messily through the Beast's stomach, puncturing several vital organs for sure, before tearing through his back and shattering into the wall behind us. Beast howled in pain and anger, falling to his knees.

"Oh, god!" I fell to my knees beside my fallen Beast as another bullet tore through the middle of his chest and Briac grinned in triumph as the Beast dropped onto his hands and knees, drawing in ragged breaths as blood gushed to the ground. "Oh, Beast, my Beast…"

There was too much blood for either wound to be non-fatal. I wasn't a doctor, but I could tell from the amount of blood that major veins and arteries had been severed. Beast wound bleed out in minutes.

"Adara…" he slipped in his own blood, falling messily to the ground with a wolf-like whimper or pain. He lay face-down on his stomach, blood coating his clothing and fur.

I crawled beside him, ignoring the thick blood that coated my hands and skirt as I did so. I muttered meaningless things to him, trying both to comfort him and come to grips with what had happened. "Oh god, Beast… I'm here… I won't leave you, I promise… oh god…"

Despite his wounds, Beast struggled to get back to a sitting position. He whimpered and cried out as blood ran thicker onto the floor. I grabbed onto his shoulders and helped him along, my fingers digging into his thick shoulders until I was able move to his side and sling one of his arms over my shoulders to hold him up.

"… Adara?" Briac murmured, taking a step into the room.

I held Beast tight, desperate to comfort him. "Briac, you don't understand. I'm not under his spell. I came back because I _wanted_ to." Tears filled my eyes. "I wanted to."

Blood ran more slowly from Beast's wounds, telling me that his heart had pumped almost everything out already. He closed his eyes for a moment and fought for breath, his paws closing into loose fists before he opened his eyes again and turning to look at me. Ice-blue sorrow burned from his eyes into mine, drawing out my tears.

I was going to watch him die. After all of that, he was _still_ going to die…

"Adara," He whispered, a thin coating of blood on his lips and teeth, "I'm so… sorry…"

Aisling and Molly entered the room then. I heard Molly gasp and Aisling cried out my name, running to stand as delicately as she could in the blood puddle in front of the Beast and I. Her eyes were wide with fear at so much blood, but I knew that she wasn't afraid of Beast.

His eyes focused on her for a moment and he murmured, "This is your sister…"

"I'm Aisling." She whispered, kneeling carefully in his blood.

"Thank you," Beast winced again from pain before continuing, "For bringing her back…"

Aisling nodded, watching as the light faded from his eyes and replying, "You're welcome."

His eyes closed then, and he began to fall back. I cried out and managed to hold him despite his bulk, hugging him tight. I was sure that I was hurting him, but I was terrified of letting him go. He was able to weakly wrap his arms around me, returning my embrace for the last time. His wounds were bleeding directly onto my tattered grey dress, but I didn't care. I clutched the fabric of his plain shirt, whispering, "This is my fault."

"No…" His eyes rolled back and the lids closed over them. His arms fell away from me and I lost my grip on him. Beast fell to the floor, his last breath rattling from his chest and through his lips. I thought I heard my name whispered as I threw myself over his body, clutching the fabric of his shirt in my hands.

"I'm so, so sorry." I sobbed, "I never meant for his to happen… I love you." Hoarse cries tore from my throat as I clung to him, desperately trying to wake him up again. "I never got to tell you how I love you…"

Aisling stood, ignoring the blood on her knees and looking over the Beast's face. "He's nice," she murmured.

I knew without looking that Briac was leaning against the door, watching us with a sinking feeling in his stomach. He thought he had done something noble, I was sure, but by now he was realizing that the Beast was more than the monster he saw him as.

Molly's quiet sobbing could be heard from across the room. I imagined her sitting against the wall, crying for her master. She was the only one who came close to understanding what I felt.

-

Molly stared at her dead master. She'd never pictured this as the way he'd die. In fact, she had been sure that he'd never die. He'd tried starving himself, stabbing himself, hanging himself… other than bruising and a few nasty scars, nothing had happened.

But, after all that time, there had been two loopholes to the curse: death by love, and death by murder. Molly shook her head as another wave of tears burned her eyes. At least he hadn't thought of that earlier. Emily had been so bitter in the beginning that she may have very well obliged… at least, before she started to go soft.

But it didn't matter now. Torin was dead, and the curse would never be lifted now.

-

The last thing Torin knew before slipping into darkness, other than pain from his wounds, was the sound of Adara's voice and the look of her face. "I love you." he tried to murmur, but he had already slipped away and he couldn't see her anymore.

It didn't matter. She already knew he loved her. It was just a shame that she hadn't fallen for him in time. At least then they could have had a little more time together…

By now, Torin was sure that he should have fallen into total darkness. But something was nagging at him, keeping him from total peace. Something about Adara's letter…

_With all my love_.

-

I smoothed the fur on Beast's face, willing him to open his eyes so I could be with him again. Briac had fallen against the wall, muttering, "I… I didn't know. I thought… I thought he was a monster…"

"This is all my fault…" I whispered to myself, leaning down to kiss his forehead.

"Adara, what's this?" Aisling asked, pointing to Beast's bloody paw.

I glanced towards her pointing finger, only to discover that the fur was disintegrating off of Beast's paw. Not only that, but where the fur had fallen away it left the longs, slender hand of a male human. I gasped as I watched the fur disintegrate off of his arms, leaving the long, lean limbs of a man.

I drew back, recalling the day Beast had admitted that he hadn't always been a Beast. Had he been human before?

The fur disintegrated from his legs and arms, leaving perfectly formed human feet, legs, arms, hands, and wrists (these had some faded scars on them though I couldn't imagine why). It was working its way up his torso and to his shoulders, closing the bullet wounds but leaving angry purple scars in their place.

I bit my lip as a human neck appeared, closing my eyes and looking away. I didn't want to remember him as some handsome human. I wanted to remember him as my Beast, the Beast that had loved me enough to die.

"Adara…?" Aisling asked. I ignored her, though I heard a gasp from Molly. Briac's mumbling stopped, and for a moment the room was silent.

After a few moments, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I moved away from whoever was touching and whispered, "Leave me."

"Adara," a male voice murmured, "Please don't cry."

There was something very familiar about this voice. The way it spoke words and pronounced my name was almost exactly like Beast's. But that made no sense, because Beast was dead. So who…

I opened my eyes and found a handsome man staring at me. He was about twenty-five years old and was wearing a white shirt and brown pants that where much, much to big for him and covered in blood. He had curly brown hair to his shoulders and he was a few inches taller than me. His body was slim, but toned, and his skin was a rich tanned colour that reminded me of candlelight. Aisling was holding his hand, pulling him towards me. I glanced to where Beast's body had been laying and discovered that it was gone, and even the blood was turning to mist and floating away as though it had never been. I stared at this newcomer for a moment and noticed that his eyes where a deep icy blue, just like the eyes of…

"Beast?" I whispered.

He nodded, opening his arms. He flashed me a broad smile as I flew into his arms and rested my head on his chest. Human arms encircled me, but they held me as the Beast had held me in a desperate embrace, clinging to me as though he never wanted to let me go.

"Who the hell are you?" Emily's voice snapped as she entered the room.

I turned to see a tall, curvy girl with dark brown eyes and even darker hair ran into the room, carrying a blanket and a mug of coffee. She tossed the hair from her pale face with a quick twist of her neck, curving her eyebrows to finalize her question and glaring daggers at a terrified Briac.

Another girl sat against the wall, her curly blond hair in a loose braid down her back. Dark blue eyes opened, slick with tears, as she regarded the dark haired girl with mild surprise, putting a slender hand on her forehead. The dark haired girl turned and her eyebrows went up as she saw the blond.

"Oh my god, Molly, we're visible again!" The coffee was thrown to the floor as the brunette snatched Molly's hands and started to dance around like a drunken idiot.

"Adara broke the spell!" the blond girl said in a voice that sounded exactly like Molly's. The two girls screamed in joy, jumping up and down as Briac regarded me with confusion.

"What… just happened?" he asked.

I ignored him. That curious pull had started again and I found myself being drawn closer to Beast. Our lips were about to touch when Emily pulled me from his grasp. "Come on. You two need to wash up."

Molly took the Beast's hand and pulled him out of the room before he could do anything about it. Our eyes met for one moment before we were both whisked off to our separate places with Aisling following close behind me and Briac being left all alone in the study.

-

**Come on, you know I'd never kill Torin off. He's much to awesomely cool and stuff…**

**Except I miss him as a Beast… (Cuddles Beast plushie)**

**Ah, well. Trust Molly and Emily to whisk Adara and Torin away from one another when they want to be together the most. **

… **Seriously, guys, if you don't listen to any of the songs I give you, please listen to _Beauty and the Beast_. It's on YouTube, I know it. Just listen. It. Is. Bloody. Fricken. AWESOME!**


	14. Chapter 14

**This song is _While Your Lips Are Still Red_ by Tuomas Holopainen and Marco Hietala, two members of Nightwish. (If you stumble upon the actual music video on YouTube, you'll see Marco singing in front - he's the blond guy with the braided beard - and Tuomas trailing behind him - he's the one with the black hair and red jacket. They're both hot, I don't care what anyone else thinks. And Tuomas plays a mean keyboard). You have to hear this song!**

**-**

**Chapter 14**

_There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered – _Nelson Mandela

Torin fought as best he could against Molly's fashion talents, but without claws or animal instincts he was forced to give up after a few moments. He chose instead to pout, crossing his arms over his chest and muttering to himself.

"I wouldn't be surprised if I found fleas in here." Molly muttered as she ran a brush through his tangled hair. "How often did you brush your fur, anyways?"

"Just hurry." Torin muttered, ignoring the question. "I want to see her."

"Ah, yes. Nothing cries romance like a bloodied outfit and hair full of fleas." Molly replied with a grin, giving the brush a final yank through his hair.

"I think you're beginning to act like Emily." Torin muttered.

Molly brushed his comment off, pointing to his scarred wrists and murmuring, "You're going to have to explain everything to her, Torin. Now that the curse is lifted, no more secrets."

"I know." Torin replied. To himself, he added, "I can't believe she kept her promise, after all …"

"I always said she'd be the one in the end." Molly murmured.

Torin nodded, his face pulled into an unreadable expression.

"… Is something the matter?" Molly inquired.

"No." Torin replied. "It's just… she fell for me as a Beast. What if she doesn't like me as plain old… Torin."

Molly gave him a smile, still enjoying the novelty of her visibility. "Love isn't so fickle, Torin. She loves you for what's inside, not your fur or your good looks."

Torin nodded, murmuring, "I hope so…"

Molly nodded to herself, saying, "Well, you're almost ready. Just get some clean clothes. I'm going to see about getting a bed set up for Aisling. The sun's already rising."

Torin nodded. "Aisling's a lot like Adara, isn't she?"

"Yes." Molly set down the brush and added, "I'm glad Adara brought her."

Torin coughed, glancing at his scarred chest. "And her brother...?"

"Who?"

"The one who killed me." he muttered dryly.

"Ah…" Molly slipped into an awkward silence for a few moments, glancing down at her hands before saying, "Well… I suppose he meant well…"

Torin chuckled, going to his wardrobe for some clean clothes. "Yes, I suppose so."

-

Emily spent what seemed like hours going through my destroyed wardrobe while Aisling and I sat on my ruined bed, glancing ever so often to look down at her large hands.

"Can you speed this up?" I asked.

"Sorry…" she glanced at her palms again before adding, "It's just, I haven't seen them for so long… my hands are really strange looking…"

I groaned and muttered, "There's nothing in there. Just lend me something of yours."

"Nothing of mine will fit." Emily muttered, gesturing to her chest. "You'd need a pillow's help to fit my dress."

I glared at her. "What about Molly?"

"She's too twiggy." Emily chuckled, extracting the only dress that hadn't been destroyed: the infamous pink. "And look what I have here…"

"That's pretty!" Aisling gasped.

I stared at Emily. "You must be kidding me."

"No… but at least it will go nicely with your necklace." She pointed out. "And besides, it looked lovely on you. I could never pull it off…" she held it up to herself, studying the amount of fabric against the generosity of her curves. "Or could I?"

"Isn't there a way we can sew the other ones back together?" I asked. "I really liked that brown one…"

"No. We can make you new ones, though…" Emily shrugged and added, "If you want to wait, it'll take a couple hours."

I snatched the pink dress from her grasp, running to the bathroom. I undressed and washed myself quickly in water that Emily had already set up for me.

"Why where you invisible?" Aisling asked her.

"Oh…" I heard Emily clear her throat. "Well… Torin's family was under a curse that had something to do with kindness or some such stuff… and Torin brought the curse upon himself."

"How?" Aisling asked.

"He was a bad employer, and lets leave it at that." Emily replied. "The only cure was to experience what I suppose is the ultimate kindness: love. And now your sister made him a nicer person, so he won't bring the curse upon himself again."

"I wish he'd have told me earlier…" I called from the bathroom as I quickly washed my hair and towelled it dry.

"I don't think that would work." Emily replied. "You had to love him despite his Beastliness, and if you knew it was a curse you'd find out that he was handsome and that would skew your judgement."

"Will Adara and Torin live happily ever after?" Aisling asked, "Like in a fairytale?"

"I suppose… except it wasn't love at first sight with them, since Adara thought he was ugly and he thought she were difficult and annoying."

I finished putting on the dress and poked my head out the door. "Not to seem rude… but can you just stop talking?"

She shrugged. "Fine. Now let me do your hair."

"Emily!" I cried, terrified that she would spend hours on my hair and keep me from Beast longer than necessary. "I'm sure he won't mind if I don't look perfect."

"Just one second…" she snatched a hairpin off of the desk and began to put my hair up, "You need to look just right…"

"I _love _him, Emily. I want to see him." I pulled away and snatched the pin out of my hair, glaring at her as I walked out the door. "I'm sure he won't mind if I don't look beautiful."

"Fine." She turned to Aisling. "Sweetie, would you like me to do your hair?"

"Will you tell me a story while you do it?"

"Sure. There's one I read a little while ago, _the Phantom of the Opera_…"

I slammed the door behind me and rolled my eyes. Invisible or no, that girl was _still_ annoying.

-

Completely dressed and clean, the newly human Torin made his way out to the rose garden. He was sure that Adara would find him there. The sunrise had almost finished and the colours were all but drained from the sky. Torin sighed, touching a rose with a single finger but refraining from picking it.

He was sure he'd never get used to being human again. He'd always thought that he'd slip right back into it, but he could barely remember how to walk properly. His human body seemed tiny and frail compared to the strength and bulk he was used to. Torin put a hand to his face and winced as his fingers brushed bare skin.

It didn't feel right.

Torin turned back to the castle just in time to see Adara walking up the path towards him. She was wearing the necklace he'd given her, as well as a pink dress that looked beautiful on her. Her green eyes regarded him from a distance and her face showed that she was just as nervous as he was.

The mere sight of her shot electricity through Torin's body, reminding him just how much he loved her. He took a step towards her, numbed by her presence.

He could only hope that she'd see him as the Beast she remembered.

-

I was both excited and alarmed by the sight of the dark-haired man standing over the place that the Beast had proposed to me, the wind teasing his hair. The sunrise still coloured the sky, illuminating his clothes. I bit back a pleased giggle – he was dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, just as he had been when I first met him. They fit him now, and they didn't make him seem monstrous at all.

"Beast." I murmured, walking down the path.

The man smiled nervously, his eyes locked on me. I found that I missed the fearfulness of his old smile and the familiarity of his fur. He offered a hand and I took it once I was close enough, surprised to feel soft skin instead of rough pads and course fur.

"You lifted the curse." He murmured.

I nodded. "Yes, Emily told me."

"This… it's going to take some getting used to." He glanced down at his human body, murmuring, "You don't mind the change, do you?"

"No." I murmured, though I wasn't quite sure. I found the scars on his wrists and ran a finger over them with my free hand, adding, "What's this?"

He released my hand, studying his wrists and turning away from me. "It's stupid..." he whispered.

"Beast..." I put a hand on his shoulder, turning him back to face me. "It's alright. You can tell me."

His eyes met mine and he sighed, shaking his head. "I tried to kill myself. The curse wouldn't let me die by my own hand, but that didn't stop me. During the first year, I tore at myself with my claws and my teeth…"

I stared at his face, shocked. "Why?"

"I wanted to escape." He replied, gesturing to his face. "After looking like this, I… I couldn't handle turning into a monster."

"You were never a monster." I murmured, embracing him. I smiled when he faltered before hugging me back. Even as a human, he was surprised by my affection.

"You... you're sure the change doesn't bother you?" he whispered into my hair.

"No..." I pulled back for a moment, adding, "I fell in love with a Beast, but... your the same, aren't you? Only your outside is different."

He nodded, his eyes cast towards the path at our feet. "I still have a bad temper and I don't like it when I don't get my way. I still have terrible table manners and I'm still desperate for your affections. I'm still madly in love with you..." he sighed, letting his eyes meet mine. "My body's changed, but that's all. You can see that… can't you?"

"I can." I smiled and grasped his hands, knowing that his hesitancy could belong to no one other than the Beast I'd fallen for. "Of course I can."

"And I still don't want you to leave me." he whispered, pulling me close.

"I swear I won't." I replied, a strange thought striking me. "But…"

"Yes?"

I bit my lip. It felt a little strange, calling him Beast when he was a man, but it seemed even stranger to leave the name behind. It wasn't just a name anymore. It had become a term of affection.

"What do I call you now?" I asked.

"You can still call me 'Beast', if you like." He murmured, his hand resting protectively on my shoulder. "But you could use my real name, if you wish. You can call me whatever you want. My name is…"

"Torin." I murmured, practising the word's weight on my tongue. It was different from _Beast_, but it still felt right. I smiled, pulling close and hugging him again.

He faltered for a moment, and then replied, "Yes. Torin."

"Torin?" I murmured.

"Yes, Adara?"

"I love you."

Torin put a gentle hand under my chin, tilting it up so I looked at him. When our eyes met, he kissed me, hesitating for an instant before our lips met. After a few moments, he pulled away and whispered, "I love you, too."

-

**(Sniffles from the beauty of their love)**

**All right, people, that is the end. **

**Okay, I can't even describe how happy I am that they finally are together and the spell is broken… thought personally I like the Beast better. But Adara is a lot smarter than me and loves Torin no matter what his name is and what he looks like…**

**And I think I could pull off that pink dress…**

**And there was a total **_**Phantom of the Opera**_** sighting in there… since Emily is based on me and is secretly a hopeless romantic…**

**And, yes, Torin isn't exactly fitting back into humanity as he'd hoped. One of the few things that really bothered me about BatB (Like Beauty just "forgetting" to go back when her month or whatever is up in the original story) is how the Beast seems to just slip back into normality. In real life, he'd have to get used to things all over again.**

_**This chapter brought to you by **_**Rose Daughter**_**, the novel that got WanderingTeen off her ass.**_

**Oh, fun fact: Torin and Adara start the _Beauty and the Beast_ legend by telling their children so they can prevent the curse from affecting future generations.**

**But if it did... total sequal possibilities if I weren't such a lazy arse.**

**Any who... guys, it's been awesome to write this and read your reviews. I probably would have taken this sorry thing right off the internet without your support. So... THANKS!**


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